Disenchanted
by Annie Sparklecakes
Summary: AU. KibaSaku. “I couldn't help but notice that you're gorgeous. Won't you allow me the pleasure of taking your breath away?”
1. Once Upon a Time

I seriously love this pairing I will not rest until it gets more followers. And so, this fic.  
**Disclaimer: **I own nothing someone else does.  
For **Missa**, who loves her canon pairings but still supports my crack ones, simply because she's a brilliant friend, and who I love so much.

**Disenchanted  
**_First impressions matter.  
__Enter Kiba, stage left._

"She's the prettiest girl you will _ever _meet, trust me," Naruto was saying. Kiba could really care less, because really, what did Naruto know about girls?

"She's really smart, too. And she's nice. If you ever need a tutor before an exam, even if it's two in the morning, you can call her, and she'll meet you."

"Is that how you passed Psych?" Kiba asked offhandedly, pausing just long enough to check over his reflection in a store window. Tousled brown spikes of hair, brown eyes, leather jacket… He rubbed a hand over his clean-shaven jaw. If only he had some stubble…

"Come _on_, you girl," Naruto snapped, glancing back to find Kiba being Kiba. Read: Obsessed with himself.

"I'm as manly as it gets," Kiba said. "Don't make me prove it to you."

"Ewww."

"…I meant arm-wrestling. Get your mind out of the gutter, Naruto."

While Naruto stopped in the middle of the sidewalk to sputter and swear in lieu of a _good _comeback, Kiba walked ahead, smothering a grin, to the café they were meeting this mysterious girl at. He reached out to grasp the door handle—

And found himself grabbing a hand instead.

Kiba looked up, and was met with a pair of very green eyes.

_Hello, gorgeous._

Years of girl-chasing experience kicked in, and Kiba took stock of her without even realizing. She had long pink hair, clipped back at the side, green eyes, and an embarrassed little smile. She was wearing a skirt and heels, but even in them her head would only brush his chin. But that was okay; he liked his girls short.

"Could I… have my hand back?"

Kiba looked down. Her French-manicured hand was still enclosed in his own, and he wasn't planning on letting go.

"No." He smiled, charisma _oozing _from his every pore. He scanned through his options in a heartbeat: _Can I get my heart back? _had good rhythm, but was cheesy. Kiba didn't _do _cheesy. "Can I get your name?"

The girl furrowed her eyebrows, but she answered all the same. "Sakura."

"Can I call you _Sweetheart?_"

Sakura flushed to the roots of her hair, yanking her hand back. "Sorry," she said stiffly, "But I'm here to meet someone." She turned away from him, shoulders tense, and Kiba spotted the textbooks under her arms. Thick, medical textbooks, of Biology and Calculus, and—

Kiba was impressed with Naruto's choice, for once.

--_Psychology_.

Sakura didn't look back as she disappeared inside the café, but that was okay. They'd have time later.

Speaking of… where was Naruto? Kiba looked back, sure that Naruto had been distracted by a shiny penny or something equally stupid.

But no. the moron was talking to a girl, with dark hair and pearly lavender eyes. Kiba was all set to leave Naruto to flirt with this blushing girl and go get to know (read: flirt the pants off) Sakura, but the blond turned around, smile so wide it threatened to crack his face in two, and said, "Kiba! Meet your date, Hinata!"

Well, that complicated things.

**-x-**

"So! You guys talk. I'll go get drinks!"

It was awkward enough being set up one a date – _as if _he couldn't get one on his own. It was doubly awkward being on a date with Hinata, who was pretty enough, but seemed to be perpetually blushing. She could barely lift her gaze long enough to meet his own, for God's sake!

What made an already bizarre situation even odder was the fact that Naruto was a moron, and (a) he didn't realize that when you set people up on a date, you _didn't hang around with them_, (b) he didn't notice Hinata's gaze darting to him every few seconds and her blush darkening every time, and (c) discovered his best friend nearby the second they walked in and greeted him both

But the most awkward of all was that said best friend was He-Who-Sakura-Was-Meeting-And-Having-Coffee-With.

Furtively, Kiba snuck a glance at the couple. The boy, Sasuke, was, even he would admit, good-looking. Not that he was really his type, but the waitresses kept giggling over him, _and not Kiba_. Sakura, sitting across from him, was reading idly from her textbook, making comments he couldn't hear every now and then, to which Sasuke would nod. He didn't say much, merely sipped from his coffee and read from his own textbook, as people their age were doing all around the small shop. Sakura didn't seem to mind, just smiled at him appreciatively.

He wouldn't _really _mind… if she at least _acknowledged _him.

Stupid girl.

"Hey, quit checking out Sasuke. You're on a date!"

Any other time, Kiba would snarl at Naruto that _He wasn't gay, dammit _and was checking out the pretty girl sitting with him, but Hinata was watching him quietly, and Kiba was nothing if not an expert on girls, so he just rolled his eyes and said, "Go get me a brownie. Want anything, Hina?" She tried to hide it, but the bashful little smile was there, from the nickname. Oh yeah. He knew his stuff.

"I'm fine, thank you."

"You sure, Hinata-chan? C'mon, we can share some cake!" Hinata paled, _then _blushed, and Kiba wondered how clueless Naruto could be.

"Th-thank you, but I-I'm fine, Naruto-kun."

"Okay, I'll get one for myself then! And then we can go sit with Sasuke and Sakura-chan!"

At the sound of their names, the other pair looked up, and Sakura smiled slightly at the two, before Sasuke said something to her and she laughed, turning her full attention back to him.

Well, fine. Kiba wasn't going to chase after a girl that had a boyfriend. He had _some _morals. Instead, he was going to give his undivided attention the girl sitting across from him, fidgeting with the strap of her purse.

"So," Kiba said, leaning forward in his seat. "You like Naruto, huh?"

Hinata dropped her purse, snapped her gaze up to his, and stammered madly. "N-n-no! Naruto-kun is a f-f-friend! I—"

Kiba cut her off. "I won't tell. So why did you agree to this date with me?"

Hinata ducked her head again, and her midnight-blue hair spilled over her shoulders. She was pretty, definitely, Kiba thought, and Naruto had had nothing but good things to say about her, even if some were probably exaggerations.

"He asked," she finally said in a small voice, and Kiba found it hard to believe that a girl would go so far as to date another boy because her crush asked her to, _especially _when that crush was Naruto, when—

"Kiba, meet Sasuke and Sakura."

"We've met," Sakura said, with a mild glare in Kiba's direction. She took a seat beside Hinata, squeezing her hand quickly, and Sasuke drew up a chair beside her.

"You have?" Naruto looked a bit scared, and even if he was right to, Kiba had to fight the urge to glare at him. He could have a _little _faith in him—

Then again, he had flirted shamelessly within ten seconds of meeting her, so maybe not.

Sakura ignored his question. "How was your Psychology exam, Naruto?"

Naruto made a vague gesture. "Eh. I mixed up Piaget and Freud."

Sasuke snorted softly, the first sound Kiba had heard from him. "How did you manage that one, _dead-last?_" he asked dryly.

Immediately, Naruto went into one of his temper tantrums, Sasuke responded, unruffled, and Hinata tried fruitlessly to mediate. Sakura, in the manner of someone used to such scenarios, merely pulled out a cell phone to check the time.

When she looked up, Kiba was looking at her.

"Somewhere to be?" he asked her, crumpling up the wrapper of his dessert.

She nodded slowly. "I have an interview for a job." She hesitated. "Sasuke was supposed to drop me off…"

"I think he's busy. I'll take you," Kiba told her, already pulling out his keys. Sakura looked bemused.

"Aren't you on a date? Naruto told me—"

"I have to go get my dog from the vet, anyways," Kiba cut in. glancing over at the others, he added, more loudly, "I have to go, guys. It was nice meeting you, Hinata."

"Likewise," she said in a soft voice Naruto still picked up over his own yelling.

"We'll do it again sometime, okay?" he said brightly. Hinata, at a loss for words, nodded. Kiba stifled a groan. Not that he minded Hinata, but they were really not each other's type.

But he had more pressing matters to attend to, so he'd deal with it later.

"Sasuke—"

"Don't worry about Sakura," Kiba said smoothly, cutting off the girl. Sasuke raised one eyebrow and didn't reply, so Kiba added, "She's in good hands."

Then Naruto, being overeager as always about his best friend and she-who-was-crushing-on-him, immediately pulled them both back into conversation, leaving Kiba to usher a very startled Sakura out of the café. She tried to resist, but Kiba looked into narrowed green eyes and said, very seriously:

"Are you ready for the ride of your life?"

**-x-  
**_Lesson One: Pick-up lines should be smooth, casual, almost unnoticeable.  
They should be complimentary, sincere as you can get, and above all, subtle.  
Girls don't fall for the clichéd crap.  
_**-x-**


	2. Cinderella Slippers

Thanks for all the support guys! KibaSaku needs your love!

Also, a note: I make fun of Naruto a lot, but I wanted to reassure you all that I _love _Naruto. This story is more from Kiba's perspective, which is why I make fun of some characters, or go into the hotness level of others. Just so you know. I'm not a character-basher. :)

You know, it's so weird to write this fic after Cover Girl. That one had like no dialogue and this… has a lot. But it'll get deeper later on. Maybe. ;)

One last note, I'm aiming for weekly updates with this thing (I just need to choose my day, hah), so chapters may be on the short side. Or not. But yeah, just a heads-up.

**Disenchanted  
**_There's no time limit to romance.  
__Take things one step at a time._

"You know, you're allowed to relax."

"You know, you're a stranger," Sakura shot back. "If I didn't need this job, I would be so out of here."

"We can fix that," Kiba told her, shifting smoothly into the next lane. "But first, tell me where we're going, or I'll just—" _Take you back to my bachelor pad. _"Drive around aimlessly and waste a ton of gas."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "It's not far, that vet's office across the street from Ichiraku? If you know Naruto, you know where it is."

"Indeed I do. That's where I was headed myself. I'm picking up my dog."

"Is he okay?"

"Yeah, just a check-up. He's probably making love with all the girl dogs as we speak." Sakura tried to hide it, but… "And she laughs! Here I thought you weren't happy to be here."

He saw her shake her head, exasperated, out of the corner of his eye. But she was smiling. "You're a stranger, remember. For all I know, you're taking me home to lock in your bedroom so I can be your personal toenail-clipper."

Kiba cocked an eyebrow, decided it was safer not to comment, and said, "Right. About that. I'm Kiba, I'm twenty-one, I love girls, dogs, and soccer. Now you know me."

"I kind of picked up the thing about girls when we met," she said dryly. "So how'd you like Hinata?"

Kiba grinned. "I'll bet you did. And she's cute, but not really my type."

"Good," Sakura sighed, as Kiba turned into the parking lot of the vet's office. He parked neatly in a spot near the door, turned off the car, and looked over at her, unable to hide his foxy little grin. When Sakura saw it, she blanched.

"Possessive, aren't we, Sakura?" he asked, even as she tried to take back her words.

"I just _meant_," she growled, "That Hinata's spoken for – even if he doesn't know it yet." Obviously, she meant Naruto. But Kiba had nearly forgotten what they were talking about, because Sakura was looking annoyed and flustered all in one, fumbling to unclasp her seatbelt.

"Let me get that," Kiba said, leaning over. "There's a bit of a catch." He pressed down on the buckle, and it opened easily. Sakura stared down at it, clearly at a loss. Kiba winked at her. "I have magic fingers."

"I'm sure," she deadpanned.

And then she got out of the car.

**-x-**

Of course, since Kiba was going to the same place, she didn't get away for long.

"So, you're looking for a job here?" Kiba asked. _Duh. It's pretty obvious._

But Sakura only nodded, not looking too happy about being followed inside. "I want to go into medicine, only I'm stuck between humans and animals." She shrugged. "A professor of mine, Tsunade, suggested this job."

"Sounds interesting. Tell me more."

She looked up at him, as if trying to decide whether he was being sarcastic or not. "About what?" she finally asked.

"You. What makes Sakura… well, _Sakura?"_

The sun was shining down on them, hot rays blinding, scorching on their skin. Summer was just beginning, but it felt like August. Sakura squinted in the bright light, but she didn't look away from Kiba's eyes, boring into hers. They were stopped in the doorway, frozen in time, until she opened her mouth.

"I'm getting late."

And this time, she got away.

**-x-**

"So! Hinata really liked you. Congratulations on doing something right."

"Like all girls _don't _love me," Kiba said. He knew he seemed full of himself, but it true, after all. He was charming. He was hot. He made girls _swoon_.

Well, except girls like Sakura. Because either she had a boyfriend, or…

Well, Kiba didn't want to think that it was because she just wasn't interested, so he would hope for the boyfriend excuse.

"Yeah, I really don't know what she was thinking," Naruto said sarcastically. "Wanna go out with her again? I told her you would."

Kiba sighed, rubbing his temples. Beside him, Naruto yammered on about how they could all go to see the new bloodbath out in theatres, oblivious to his friend's inner turmoil.

Okay, so _inner turmoil_ was a bit melodramatic. It was more like Kiba's humiliation over Sakura's apparent rejection.

"So, did you get Sakura-chan to her interview on time?" Naruto asked abruptly. Kiba wondered briefly if the blond could read his mind, then decided it was a ridiculous thought, since Naruto could barely handle his own two thoughts an hour.

Kiba nodded, kicking at a pebble. The two were ambling through the grounds of the campus, between classes and not really eager to get a head-start on studying in the library. It was a nice day, sunny and breezy. It was a lazy day.

As if on cue, he yawned, showing off almost abnormally sharp canines. "She was going to the vet's, and so was I."

"Sakura likes animals," Naruto said with a nod. "Actually, she likes everyone. And everyone likes her."

"So I've noticed," Kiba muttered dryly. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of white-blond hair, and he turned, smirk already forming on his face, to see Yamanaka Ino, Konoha U's Party Queen extraordinaire, sprinting over the grounds towards him.

He opened his arms to her, and she leapt at him, smacking a sloppy kiss on his cheek.

"You seem enthusiastic," Kiba observed, just as she burst out with, "Ibiki-sensei chose me! I got the spot!"

"Wow," Naruto said. "Congrats, Ino!"

"Thanks, Naruto," she said, a little breathlessly. Even flushed with happiness, hair tossed about from the wind and her run, Ino was gorgeous. Kiba had gone out with her once, briefly, when she broke up with her long-time boyfriend, Sai – also briefly. But while she was fun, Ino was a veritable ball of energy. She was like sunshine on crack, and too much for even him to handle.

But now, this little cheerleader-prom queen-diva was going to be training under her Forensics Professor, Ibiki, to read crime scenes and solve cases over the summer.

Kiba privately wondered what he had been _thinking_, but wisely chose not to say anything.

"This calls for a party!" she said. Naruto cheered, pumping his fist, and Kiba had to join in. Ino, with her own penthouse, courtesy of her darling, doting _Daddy_, threw the wildest parties on campus.

With promises to celebrate soon, Ino rushed off again, calling out to anyone who would listen about her news.

Once she was out of earshot, Naruto muttered, "Five bucks says Ibiki kicks her out within a week."

With a grin, Kiba replied, "Ten says she has him begging for her to come back within the next."

**-x-**

When Kiba finally got to the library to start on all his work, he thought he was thinking way too much about Sakura, which was ridiculous, because he had only met her two days ago, but no, he wasn't imagining it, because Naruto, disregarding all library rules, just-about-shouted, "Sasukeeee!!"

Somehow evading a scolding in his lucky Naruto way, the blond crossed the room to loom over his best friend, who seemed to be trying to pretend he didn't know him.

"Watcha doin'?" Naruto asked, plonking down on the chair beside Sasuke. Kiba followed suit, somewhat awkwardly, since Sasuke wasn't exactly a friend of his.

"What does it look like, loser?" Sasuke snapped. Idly, Kiba wondered why the two of them were friends at all.

"It looks like you're working on an Economics paper," Naruto replied innocently, leaning over to see the screen of Sasuke's laptop.

"Good job," Sasuke deadpanned. "Why don't you let me do it so that I can pass and you can fail?"

"Naw, you'd miss me too much." As he was speaking, Naruto was unzipping his bag. Kiba already had his books open and was attempting, fruitlessly, to do some Calculus.

Sasuke sighed and tried to ignore him. Kiba tried to hide a snicker. That never worked with Naruto.

Sasuke had evidently heard, however, and was glaring at Kiba, who was taken aback. Until he remembered he had hit on this guy's probable girlfriend.

Oops.

It was right then that a girl with black hair pinned up at the back of her head wandered by, hips swinging. Kiba grinned up at her, leaning back in his chair to wave hello (read: fully appreciate the view). She giggled, looking away bashfully, and his smile widened triumphantly.

Oh yeah. He was pretty much the hottest thing ever.

When he looked back up, Naruto was gone to find a book, and Sasuke was looking even angrier.

Bemused, Kiba finally asked, "What?"

Sasuke looked back down at his notes, but when he spoke, his words were stiff with annoyance. "Don't flirt with a girl unless you mean it."

"…You mean Sakura?" This couldn't be good. But if he was her boyfriend—

Sasuke snorted. "Obviously."

Kiba was at a loss. "I didn't—well, I _did_, but—Aren't you her boyfriend?"

The look Sasuke shot him was very dry, and Kiba would be lying if he wasn't happy – and a little peeved, because now he had no excuse – when Sasuke said, very simply, "No."

Well, now that that was cleared up…

**-x-  
**_You like a girl? Okay.  
__You need to be honest about it. You need to let her know how you feel.  
__And how you feel has to be that she's the most important thing in the world.  
_**-x-**


	3. A Kiss to Wake Her

I rock so hard, for totals. And I know I'm kinda defying canon in this story, with the couples and the situations – as you'll see soon enough. but I'm glad you all still like it, and just be glad I haven't messed up _all _the couples.

This chapter is dedicated to Ailey, or **illusioned**, even if she never reads this, because it's her birthday today, and I like her. Just a little. So yes.

**Disenchanted  
**_Party Queen, she is not.  
__But I can work with that._

It was a good enough lead-in, because Naruto loved to talk, and he loved his friends, so he _really _loved to talk about his friends. Plus, they had just left Sasuke to study, so it wouldn't be too out of the blue.

With that in mind, Kiba began, "So how long have you known Sasuke?"

"Since I was ten," Naruto said, kicking at a pebble and barely listening. The rock would probably keep him occupied for hours. Simple things for a simple mind, Kiba thought.

"Ten?" he echoed. "I've never heard of him before now." Granted, he had only been friends with Naruto through their past three years at university, since they were roommates in their first year.

"He doesn't go to Konoha U," Naruto explained, finally abandoning his pebble. Now he had picked up a long, skinny branch, and was dragging it as he walked. Kiba privately wondered if Naruto had maybe snuck into the university, and should really still be in elementary. "He and Sakura-chan are both really smart, so they go to Oto."

Kiba's eyebrows flew up in impressed surprise. Oto was hard to get into, and the workload heavy. To be doing pre-med in a place like that…

If he wasn't Kiba and full of himself, he might wonder if Sakura was a bit out of his league.

"I've known them both for forever," Naruto went on, apparently not needing Kiba's prodding questions any longer. He had abandoned the branch and was now walking with his bag slung over one shoulder, hands stuffed in pockets, looking almost nostalgic, a little smile playing over his features. "I had a huge crush on Sakura, from the moment I met her."

_Join the club, _Kiba thought wryly.

"But they're both really smart. I didn't even try for Oto." Naruto shrugged, not looking too bothered. "I would never get in."

"Maybe if the admissions office admins were all drunk," Kiba offered unhelpfully. Naruto stuck his tongue out at him.

"Besides, it's really expensive. Sasuke's family is super-rich, so they paid for him, but no way my Dad would. He'd just laugh. Anyways, Sasuke paid for Sakura to go, too."

"Why did—" But Naruto needed no encouragement.

"She walked out on her parents when she was fourteen. Tired of them fighting and ordering her around, she said. Sasuke took her to live with him." That smile of his was back, subdued and gentle and so unlike Naruto. "He's taken care of her for a long time. Must be why she loves him so much, huh?"

Oh. There was the catch.

**-x-**

"So hot," Kiba said with a grin.

"Stop talking to your reflection," Naruto said. "It's gross."

"Not when you look like I do," Kiba reminded him, giving himself a spray of cologne before walking to the door. "Come on, loser, let's go."

Naruto grumbled a bit, but got up lazily from where he was sprawled on Kiba's bed, waiting for Prince Charming to get over himself so they could leave for Ino's party.

"I've got a surprise for you," Naruto sang as they emerged into the cool night air. They were late; it was almost ten. The party had started two hours ago, but it wouldn't be ending soon.

"Golly gee whiz, I' wonder what it is, the suspense is killing," Kiba deadpanned. "Come on, I need a drink," he snapped, breaking into a jog across the grounds, out of campus, and down the road to hail a cab to Ino's. Naruto followed, at a high-speed sprint, his endless supply of energy kicking in.

"You're an alcoholic. Last one there's a virgin!"

Kiba sped up. No way was he beating him there, not after that crack.

**-x-**

It was fun so far. There were a lot of people, which made moving around difficult, but dancing extremely fun. So far, he had danced with Ino for three minutes (before she moved on to the next five friends vying for attention), Tenten for almost twenty, before he got tired and she went on to find her boyfriend, and Karin, who was now lying asleep and wasted in Ino's bedroom.

He was standing with Naruto and a couple of their friends, Gaara and Kankuro, nursing a beer and looking around for something to do, while Naruto recounted the tale of how he stopped a man from choking to death (which he almost caused him to do in the first place, but he always left that out).

Suddenly, he stopped, nudging Naruto. "Hey, isn't that—"

Naruto followed his gaze and, immediately, broke out into a face-splitting grin. "Sakura-chan!" he finished, lifting his hand so eagerly to wave to her that he almost knocked Gaara in the side of the head. The short, but terrifying, redhead glared at the two of them – Kiba was apparently guilty by association – but Naruto didn't seem to notice.

He zipped over to her side, dodging dancers, couples, and drunken slobs, and Kiba, after a moment, followed. He couldn't look too eager, after all.

Sakura was smiling up at Naruto, looking very small in jeans and a simple white tank top, alone on the couch. She looked out of place in too-simple clothing, her posture stiff, and only a glass of soda in her hands.

"Hi, Kiba," she said when he neared, and he _knew _something was up.

"Hey," he replied, dropping down onto the couch beside her. It was a small couch, squished into the corner of the room to clear the way, and when he sat down so heavily, she bounced up a bit, sliding into him so her shoulder knocked his. Immediately, her face flamed.

"Sorry, I—"

"Where's Sasuke?" Naruto shouted over the music, not seeming to notice their position.

"He went to get a drink," she said, distracted, but only for a moment. As soon as Naruto left in search of their third musketeer, she tried again to extricate herself from Kiba. He, in turn, wrapped his fingers around her elbow and pulled her closer, ducking his head down to her ear to speak to her.

"You don't seem too thrilled to be here," Kiba said. His hand was flat against her back, so when she shivered, he felt it, and he smothered a grin.

"I'm okay," she said, too quickly.

"You're a terrible liar." He pressed closer to her under the pretense of being able to hear her. She was nervous, but she was trying to play it off. "Do you want to go outside?"

She turned to him, one eyebrow raised challengingly. "With _you?"_

"I won't touch you as long as you don't want me to," he promised, letting go of her to prove his point.

"I never _will_ want you to," she said, but when Kiba held out a hand to her, she took it without thinking, and he pulled her up, cocky Kiba grin in place.

"We'll see how long _that _lasts."

**-x-**

"I wasn't expecting to see you here," Kiba said when he led her out onto Ino's balcony. Sakura shrugged, arms wrapped around herself for warmth.

"Ino invited me to spend the night. I didn't know about the party, or I wouldn't have come." She laughed a bit. "I don't really like these things. But then I called Sasuke, and he said he'd stay with me, since Naruto was coming anyways. So here I am."

Kiba looked her over coolly. The last time they spoke, she was all fired up, confident and countering his every attempt to woo her. Now she was almost submissive, contained, and ready to go along with anything he said, just for some company.

She must have really hated being there.

He tossed his leather jacket to her, and she caught it automatically. "Wear that," he said to her questioning look. "It'll probably look even better on you than it does on me." _And that's saying something_, he wanted to add.

Sakura smiled at him, pulling on the jacket without complaint. It was too big on her, and she had to roll up the sleeves, but she said, "How do I look?" so he said, Kiba-instincts kicking in, "Like a biker babe."

Hey, it was better than, "You'd look better in less," which was what he was itching to say.

Sakura made a face at him, but didn't move to take off the jacket. "That's not very flattering."

"Are you kidding? I just basically said you're the hottest thing ever created."

"And way out of your league," she tossed back, smiling, and Kiba was struck again by the change. Was she… _flirting _back?

"That can be remedied," Kiba told her casually, leaning back against the wall. "What kind of guy do you like?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Depends on what kind of guy you _aren't_."

Okay, maybe she wasn't. Dammit.

"Spend some time with me, Sweetheart," he drawled. "You'll find out soon enough that I can be everything you want me to be, including the man of your dreams."

Sakura's smile dropped, and she said, tone suddenly bland, "We should go inside. Naruto and Sasuke must be looking for us."

**-x-**

Indeed, Sasuke and Naruto were waiting on the couch. Naruto was talking to Ino's boyfriend, Sai, and Sasuke was looking bored and ignoring all the girls who came up to him, which annoyed Kiba to no end. So many girls going to waste!

He looked up when they approached, pushing Naruto over to make room for Sakura. The loveseat was a bit small, but the trio barely noticed how scrunched up together they were. That was friendship for you.

Kiba felt a bit left out, and was ready to go back on the dance floor, especially when he saw Sasuke hand Sakura a can of Coke, and she beamed at him in her hero-worship way.

It meant so much more now that he knew their history.

Either way, he didn't make it more than two steps away before Ino barreled past him and launched herself at Sakura.

"You came!"

Sakura said, not without some amusement, "Uh, yeah. I helped you set up, remember?"

Obviously, the blonde was plastered. She never could hold her alcohol very well.

Sai's smile didn't falter as he turned away from Naruto to pry Ino off her best friend. Beside her, Sasuke shot the couple an irritated look.

"Sakura's my best friend," Ino informed Kiba cheerfully. "Since _kindergarten_." She blinked, looking from Kiba to Sakura, and back again. "Hey, Kiba," she said in what only she thought was a whisper. "Sakura's wearing your jacket."

All eyes turned to her, and Sakura flushed at the attention. Kiba hid a grin. _Oops_.

**-x-**

What had followed was a long night of awkwardness. Kiba spent most of the night drinking and dancing, catching only glimpses of Sakura on the couch, looking bored and lost in her thoughts. Sasuke didn't stray from her side, but they didn't seem to be speaking. Not like the two of them had outside for those few minutes.

She was still wearing his jacket, picking at the sleeves, and Kiba smiled at her when she looked his way, all teeth, predatory and devious.

She burned red and looked away, but that was all Kiba needed to feel the familiar rush in his system, the rush only a true skirt-chaser could feel, looking at a girl who didn't want to want him.

If Sasuke wasn't going to give her what she wanted… well, Kiba would.

**-x-  
**_If you really like a girl, you can't let little things deter you from her.  
Persistence is key.  
__Be patient, Grasshopper, and you will be rewarded.  
_**-x-**


	4. Stone Castles

Sorry, I missed last week. I was out of town and forgot to warn you guys, and then I was hit by a massive writer's block – which I'm still struggling through. And I've realized how short this fic will be. Hm.

And a disclaimer, I guess: the lines under the title, I reference 'Angel To You, Devil To Me,' by The Click Five.

**Disenchanted  
**_She's an angel to you, a devil to me,  
__And everything in between._

Kiba tipped his head back to stare lazily at Ino from hooded eyes.

"Hey gorgeous, you're in my light." He flicked his fingers to the side. "As much as I appreciate the sight, I'm off of blondes for now."

Ino wrinkled her nose at his choice of words, but took a seat on the bench beside him nonetheless. "You're a scumbag," she told him cheerfully. "Hitting on a taken woman."

"Don't even tell me you don't like it," he said, tugging on her blonde ponytail. "And I'm flattered of course, but—"

"But you like my best friend. _Right_?"

"Yeah."

Actually, Ino wasn't expecting him to agree. She was anticipating denial, more pick-up lines, some flippancy. She was waiting to tease him mercilessly until he admitted defeat, and then tell him how wrong he was for Sakura and to not even _think _about going after her.

The honesty was a bit off-putting. Now she couldn't have any fun. So she went straight into lecture-mode, albeit a bit uncertainly:

"Well, forget it. Sakura's not another skirt. And she's too smart for you anyway. Plus, she—"

"Has a thing for Sasuke, I know," he cut in, an edge to his voice. "Quit harping, alright?" he rolled his head to the side to look at her through the dark lenses of his sunglasses, still leaning back in the bench, still relaxed, almost bored.

"I like Sakura, Ino. And I admit, I might stop at any given moment. But not now. I'm going to _chase _her, as you all so eloquently put it, and I don't go around hurting girls for the hell of it. I don't want to hurt her." With that, he stood up, stretching his arms above his head. He didn't look bothered in the least, as opposed to Ino, who was sitting straight up, looking shocked. The anger, he knew, would kick in any second, and he planned to be far away when that happened.

"I do what I want," Kiba told her, knowing, even as he said them, how his words sounded. "Don't try to tell me otherwise."

And then he left, ruffling her hair as he passed.

**-x-**

Kiba had another date with Hinata, and he was ready to kill Naruto because of it.

"I tried to tell you!" Naruto protested. "That night of the party!"

"_I've got a surprise for you!" _Kiba cursed inwardly at the memory. He should've known, somehow, that Naruto was going to screw him over – _again_.

"Naruto," he began through gritted teeth, "I do not—"

"Come on, we're going to Ichiraku! Hinata's waiting, man!"

"Wait." Kiba stopped, whirling on his _idiot _of a friend. "_Right now?_" He was seconds away from strangling the blond. Actually, _all _blonds were getting on his nerves today. _God. _Either way, he couldn't back out now. Hinata didn't want to see him and he didn't want to see her – not in that context, anyways – but he wasn't going to blow her off at the last minute. He wasn't that kind of guy.

"Yeah, yeah! So let's go!" he said excitedly, leading the way again. Idiot. He _still _didn't realize that a date was between only two people?

**-x-**

The last time he was interested in a girl, Kiba walked right up to her and stuck his tongue in her mouth. Granted, he was drunk at the time, and he knew she wanted him too, but it still should've been clear to Naruto that if he liked a girl, he was straight-forward about it.

But it appeared this wasn't the case, not if the way Naruto flashed him a not-at-all subtle thumbs-up when he saw Kiba lean forward to talk to Hinata. He was too far to hear what they were saying, but couldn't he _tell _neither of them wanted to be there together?

"I like you, Hinata, so I'm going to be honest with you." Hinata nodded, looking weary, and Kiba smiled. She _was_ really sweet. "I like Sakura. A lot."

Hinata waited expectantly, not saying a word about how he was all wrong for her, which was a relief. Then again, Hinata didn't know much about him, but still.

"And I know you know her. And I know that you like Naruto. _And _I know that you aren't interested in a relationship with me, and you know that I'm not, either. No offense," he added hastily.

Hinata smiled, casting her eyes to her hands, fidgeting with her napkin. "None taken."

"Good. So, I propose a deal. I keep pushing Naruto at you," he began bluntly. Hinata flushed, but didn't comment. "And in return, you help me with the latest Girl of My Dreams."

Hinata smiled shyly at him. "Deal."

"It's good to have you on Team Kiba. I'll get you a jacket."

Hinata was looking at him in almost-reverence, not entirely unlike the way she looked at Naruto sometimes. Kiba figured it was because she was so shy, she just needed friends to talk to.

Or maybe it was because he was so hot; who knew?

"Um…" She was twiddling her fingers again. "So, what do I do?"

"First," Kiba began. "We drop off lunch."

**-x-**

Yuuki didn't like new employees. They had to be trained and watched closely. If they were bad at their job, it meant more work and a migraine for her. If they were good at their job, it meant less work and stress over losing the job for her. It was a lose-lose situation.

Sakura was pretty good at her job. She was smart, good with the animals, and polite. She was still figuring out the way they did things, but that was okay. She had only been working there for a few days. But it was still boring. She really needed something to do—

"Oh, lucky me," Kiba said, leaning over the counter. Surprised, she looked up; she hadn't even heard him come in.

She tossed him a saucy little grin, propping her chin in one cupped hand. This could provide some very nice entertainment indeed. "Hey, you. Long time no see."

"No girl should have to suffer any period of time without Kiba," he agreed.

"We should make up for that later."

Kiba smiled at her, straightening. "Anyways, we're actually here to see Sakura. Is she in?"

Finally, Yuuki looked past Kiba. A girl around her age was hanging back, looking at the posters lining the walls, and she turned wary. She _really _hoped she hadn't just made a fool of herself and that that _wasn't _Kiba's girlfriend…

"She's out back, exercising the dogs. You can go out there if you'd like."

"Thanks. Can she take a break for lunch?"

"No way! I—"

"Come on, Yuuki," Kiba said in a low, smooth-as-velvet voice, sly smile tugging lazily at his lips. She felt her breath quicken, and cursed him, viciously, in her head. He knew all too well how to get under a girl's skin. Damn womanizer. "Do a guy a favor."

_I hate you_. "Fine. But don't keep her out too late."

"You sound like my girlfriends' parents. I won't." To the other girl he added, "Be right back, Hinata."

**-x-**

The hard part had been ditching Naruto. Kiba had had to say that dates were only for two people, and he and Hinata wanted to spend some one-on-one time together before the blond let them go. He really hadn't wanted to say it, and he knew he'd regret it later, but right now, he didn't regret much of anything, because it was hard to feel bad when you were in heaven.

He loved pretty girls.

And he especially loved pretty girls with nice legs (actually, nice _any_-parts-of-their-bodies), especially when they were in shorts and kneeling down beside dogs and reaching out to play with them.

Kiba liked dogs, too. Not necessarily in the same way, but the two of them put together was always nice to see. Not enough girls liked dogs so much, in his opinion.

Point for Sakura.

She hadn't noticed him yet, but the dogs were beginning to. Kiba's sister used to work here, as had his parents, and he planned to, soon. It was something of a family tradition, and playing with the dogs here was routine. So, without even thinking, he walked over, scooped up a ball, and chucked it as hard as he could, letting the dogs chase after it, barking frantically.

A plus was that Sakura was now (a) alone and unoccupied, (b) looking at him, and (c) smiling.

"Hey. Having fun?"

"Just a bit. What are you doing here?"

"I was out, having lunch. With Hinata," he added, waiting for her reaction. Which was to—keep smiling. Damn. "Naruto's still trying to set us up."

"Moron."

"The worst kind. Anyways, she wanted to bring you lunch. So here we are. She's waiting for you inside."

"Oh, how sweet. But…" Sakura looked down at herself. "I guess I'll need to freshen up first. I'm a mess."

"My favorite kind." Kiba held out a hand to pull her up. She didn't take it, instead staring up at him with an unfathomable expression. "I think you're beautiful."

_Beautiful _was, Kiba found, the key word with most girls. _Cute_ and _pretty_ were too simple. _Gorgeous_ was going too far. And _hot_ was out of the question.

As expected, Sakura flushed, embarrassed. "You don't have very high expectations. Does sweat turn you on?"

Kiba raised his eyebrows at her, amused. She had walked right into that one.

"For future reference?" When she sputtered a bit, apparently getting ready to deny it all, he added, "Go get ready then. We're waiting."

Before he could turn to go, she reached out to grab his hand, and he pulled her up, just hard enough that she stumbled against him, in prime position for… well, everything he wanted. But she leapt back almost immediately, and just about ran off, leaving Kiba to stare after her.

What was he doing wrong?

**-x-**

They took her out to the park, offering her some ramen they had picked up when they left, still warm. They couldn't go back to Ichiraku; the probability of Naruto still being there was too high.

He didn't know how Hinata knew Sakura, but it was obvious they were close. Maybe not like Sakura and Ino or Naruto, but the friendship was there. He almost felt like a third wheel. But he also felt like a bit of a pimp, even if he wasn't interested in one, and the other was adamantly refusing his advances.

And of course, there was that confusion again.

The first time he met her, Sakura was blushing a lot, but also mouthing off a lot. It was clear that she had wanted nothing to do with him. But he wasn't about to give up.

The second time, she was almost sweet. She tried to refuse him, but she just wanted company and some attention, which he was all too eager to give. He thought they were getting along.

But obviously, he was wrong.

With a sigh, he turned away from their conversation. A tall girl with blue eyes and long hair was passing, and he decided to entertain himself in his own way.

"I'll be right back," he said, and stood, not waiting for a reply.

He didn't look back as he strode along to catch up with the girl, and when he did, he went right into Charmer-mode.

"Hi," he greeted, coming to a sop in front of her. The girl stopped, looking a bit taken aback.

"Do I know you?"

"I really want you to. Can I have your name?"

"Aiko," she answered, almost immediately, and Kiba grinned. No effort required. He had it, all right.

"I'm Kiba, and I've just ran across the park after you because—"

"Let me guess. I stole your heart and you want it back?" Such a Sakura response, but this girl was being flirtatious.

He shook his head inwardly to get her out of his mind and said, "How'd you guess?"

Later, when he looked back, laughing with Aiko and back to feeling confident in his skills as a girl-chaser, he saw Hinata's expression first, of unconcealed disappointment. Then his gaze shifted to Sakura.

She was smiling, in that small, 'I-Knew-It' kind of way. She didn't look happy, or even sad. She just looked satisfied.

**-x-  
**_Love requires courage. People are going to fight you, every step of the way.  
__Don't listen to them. And prove them wrong.  
__Don't do what I did.  
_**-x-**


	5. The Fairy Godmother

So, _so _sorry about the wait. I was supremely blocked and couldn't figure this chapter out. Eventually, Naruto saved the day as always, but the tone of this chapter is different from previous ones. But then, so is the next, which is about halfway done, because, obviously, we're reaching a climax. Actually, after this chapter there are only about two or three, which is somehow a big shock to me. But it's – mostly – all planned out, and will be completed soon. Thankfully for Kiba.

Sigh. I remember why I love this story again.

**Disenchanted  
**_When in doubt,  
__Duke it out._

"What am I doing wrong, Hinata?"

It wasn't like Kiba to ask for help – especially not when it came to his special talent (ie. girl-chasing), but his usual tricks weren't working. Or rather, they _were _working: Sakura's blushes and heavy denials were proof of that. The only problem was, that was all she was doing.

He hung back with Hinata as Sakura disappeared back inside the vet's office, pausing only to wave at her friend. Hinata returned it, smiling, before turning to Kiba.

"I don't know…" She cast her eyes warily to her shoes as he led her to his car, and he knew she was lying.

"Hinata," he sighed. "Please." He leaned over the hood of his car to stare imploringly at her, and she froze, hand on the door, as he admitted something he would never tell anyone else. "I'm serious. I really like her."

It didn't take much to get Kiba's attention, but it was true that Sakura was holding it quite effectively. But regardless of everything standing in his way – Sasuke, Ino, and apparently himself – he still wanted to chase after her. Whether it was the pursuit itself or actually _her_ was yet to be determined. But Hinata didn't need to know that.

If he was going to get anywhere, he couldn't turn Hinata off of helping him so soon.

Hinata peered up at him nervously, then sighed, sliding into the car. Kiba did the same, shutting the door and turning to her immediately. Hinata busied herself with the belt, struggling a bit with the catch and Kiba leaned over to latch it for her without one of his typical comments.

Finally, Hinata brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, and spoke.

"Sakura is in love with Sasuke, as you know." When Kiba nodded, she went on, cautiously, "That's because he's been looking after her since they were kids. Sasuke would drop anything to help his friends – and especially Sakura – and that drew her to him."

Hinata paused for a moment, and Kiba waited impatiently. He _knew _all this. So why—

"Above all, Sakura has always wanted stability in her life and, to her, that is what Sasuke represents. He's responsible and loyal." Hinata took in Kiba's bemused stare, and added, "He's _faithful_."

Kiba winced, finally comprehending. Oh. _Right_.

"Sakura and I aren't close enough for me to be sure of how she feels," she said hastily. "But I think she doesn't quite, um…" She at least had the grace to look embarrassed, Kiba had to give her that, "Trust you."

_Ouch._ Not that Kiba could blame her. He wouldn't trust himself, and it was easy to see why Sakura would choose Sasuke over him, even he could admit that, even if it was a blow to his – admittedly large – ego. However, there was one thing Kiba had that Sasuke didn't, and that was a romantic interest in Sakura. Maybe she loved Sasuke, but he seemed to have the emotional capacity of a _rock_, and Kiba, well, didn't.

But this new development also posed a problem: Kiba couldn't break this girl's heart, and if he chased after her like any other skirt, he probably would.

He propped his head up in one hand as he backed out of the parking lot, and considered his options.

There were really only two: get serious, or leave Sakura alone.

Kiba snorted. Neither was likely. Well, he had always been good at finding the middle ground.

**-x-**

There were two options: strangle Naruto, or throw Naruto out a window. Kiba, for once, couldn't begin to consider something less extreme.

They were sitting in their dorm room, Kiba was trying to finish a paper, and The Moron was still going on about Kiba's so-called date with the girl _he didn't even like_, and nothing Kiba said seemed to get through to him.

"Did you have fun?"

"She's okay. Not really my type."

"She's better, right? What did you guys do after you left?"

_Went off in search of the girl of my friggin' dreams. _"Nothing. Talked a bit. Then I drove her home."

Naruto's eyebrows flew up to disappear in his mess of blond hair. "You didn't make a move on her? Wow. You must _really _like her."

Kiba was seriously considering banging his own head against the wall – several times. Maybe if he lost enough brain cells, he would understand Naruto's logic.

"Here's a thought," he said sarcastically, "maybe I'm just _not into her_." _Please, let it drop_, he pleaded silently. _I don't know how much more my head can take._

No such luck. Naruto frowned as if the idea had never occurred to him. As if any match he set up would be the one made in heaven. Kiba rolled his eyes at the thought. _Typical._

"Not into her? Why not? What's wrong with Hinata?"

_She doesn't have pink hair or green eyes and her name isn't Sakura. Oh, right, and she's crushing on the biggest idiot this side of the world. Anything else? _"We just didn't connect."

"Meaning, what, she wouldn't let you grope her?"

Kiba's fist moved so fast Naruto didn't even see it coming. One moment he was laying back on his bed and crinkling his notes while Kiba sat in front of his laptop, back to him; the next, he had rolled off his bed, hand coming up to touch the tender spot on his jaw.

"What the hell was that?" he demanded, getting to his feet. "That's gonna leave a bruise!"

"You're a wimp," Kiba sneered, but he took a step back. His hands were shaking, and he half-wanted to punch him again. But then, the other half was wondering at his actions. Kiba was generally a pretty even-tempered person.

Luckily, Naruto knew that very well and, even luckier, he was the type to let things go when there were other, more pressing concerns to attend to.

"I bruise easily. Way to ruin perfection," Naruto said, rotating his jaw. "What was that about?"

Kiba ruffled his hair irritably. "I think I like a girl."

"Wow, really? 'Cause, you know, you never have before," Naruto said dryly. Then his expression changed and he looked genuinely regretful. "Not Hinata, is it?"

"What clued you in?"

"Too bad. I really thought she liked you." Naruto shrugged. "I just wanted her to get a confidence boost. So it makes no sense I set her up with you…" Kiba glared at him, and Naruto grinned. "If you punch me again, I'm hitting you back."

Kiba scoffed. "I'm shaking."

"So who's the girl?"

Kiba fell silent. There was one thing to be careful of around Naruto, and that was his friends. He was fiercely protective, especially of Sasuke and Sakura, and he _knew _how Kiba was. If Ino had bitched him out, then Naruto probably _would _make good on his threat and knock him to next week. And Kiba rather liked his face in its rugged, unmarked perfection.

"Is it Sakura?"

How the _hell _did everyone keep figuring that out? Kiba met Naruto's thoughtful gaze head on, tensed himself for a fight (or maybe flight), and said, "Uh."

No wonder Sakura didn't like him, he decided sourly.

Naruto yawned, sprawled back on his bed. "Yeah. Thought so. She's not gonna like you back, you know."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Where was the violence? The kicking and punching and screaming and declarations? It was actually a bit disappointing to see Naruto look like he was ready to nap while Kiba was in such turmoil.

Well, okay, turmoil was stretching it.

Naruto shrugged again. "I just tell it like is. She's still hung up on Sasuke." Naruto scrunched up his face, thinking. It looked painful. But then, Kiba realized, for Naruto, it probably was.

"Do you like her?"

Kiba blinked. "Are you a moron? Didn't I just say that?"

"Be nice," Naruto warned. He sat up then, grinning from ear to ear. "'Cause if you really do, I can help."

Kiba was skeptical. "With what?" Naruto wasn't exactly an expert on matters of the heart…

"I know I'm not a dirty man-slut like you," Naruto said, seeming to read Kiba's head – well, more or less. "But I know Sakura better than you could ever hope to—" He caught sight of Kiba's raised eyebrows, scowled, and threw a dirty sock at him. "Not like that! Jeez, no wonder she doesn't like you…"

"She said that?"

Naruto almost looked sad for him. "Wow. You really have it bad."

Kiba tactfully chose not to respond to that. "Naruto, if you help me with this, I will never make fun of your admittedly low IQ again," he promised, dead serious. This was more than he could have ever hoped for, and he wondered just who had brainwashed Naruto, that he would think of helping set him, the dirty man-slut, up with his precious Sakura-chan. But Kiba knew better than to push his luck, and kept his mouth shut for the time being. He would snoop around later.

Naruto stuck his tongue out at him. Then: "So, you won't want to go out with Hinata again, will you…?"

"Naruto."

"Yeah?"

"You're the biggest idiot on the planet."

**-x-**

"Why are we here again?" Naruto wanted to know, standing outside the café where he had first introduced Hinata to Kiba. It was also the first time Kiba had met Sakura.

He knew he should be regretful of that first meeting, the impression he gave off, but all he could think about was how Sakura had fired up when he hit on her. Those had been good times. He had really thought he could classify her: there was always a girl that tried to be stubborn, but they all fell prey to his charms. All except Sakura.

But not for long.

"Because," Kiba said shortly. He pushed Naruto through the door, then snuck a glance through the window wondering if, on an off-chance, Sakura would be hanging around again.

But no, she wasn't. Kiba didn't know whether to be bummed out or relieved. He settled for nonchalance. Like he wasn't even thinking about her.

Judging by Hinata's smile, it wasn't working.

"Hinata-chan! What are you doing here?"

Hinata seemed to be wondering the same thing. "Um…"

"I called her here," Kiba said, taking a seat across from her so Naruto had to drop into the chair beside her. "I'm holding up my end of a deal." He grinned, and Hinata burned red, dropping her gaze to her hands so she wouldn't have to look at Naruto, who was trying to meet her eyes for some clarification.

Kiba stood. "So! You guys talk. I'll go get drinks," he said, in perfect imitation of Naruto on that first 'date.' He hoped the blond remembered.

He ordered his drinks at the counter and scanned the menu as he waited. However, he couldn't help but notice, out of the corner of his eye, the girl making his drinks shooting him glances only she thought were inconspicuous.

Kiba stifled a sigh. He got it: he was hot. But he was also taken.

Well, kind of.

When his drinks were ready, he pulled out his wallet without a word. The girl behind the counter's nametag read Hi! My Name is _Ami_. She was looking at him carefully, twirling a lock of violet hair around one finger in a way that normally had Kiba chatting a girl up and into a date.

He counted out money.

Amilooked annoyed by the brush-off and finally said, blinking up at him through dramatically made-up eyes, "I get off my shift soon. Do you—"

"Can't." Kiba looked up, met her gaze. He smiled; finally, the chance to try out his new status. "I'm a one-woman man." He liked the sound of that. He liked it better when he imagined Sakura's expression if she had heard: furious and outraged and mortified. "And yes, I've already found her," he added when Ami looked coy.

_Too bad she doesn't know it yet…_

**-x-  
**_Pride is a double-edged sword.  
__At some point, you may need help, even if it's hard to admit.  
__But just remember: for her, everything is worth it.  
_**-x-**


	6. Enter Prince Kiba

So, I lied. This story _will _be a bit longer than I expected. Or about as long as I originally planned – 10 chapters. Maybe. I dunno, depends how I take it. But I'm trying to finish it soon. So um. Yeah. By the way, I don't own the lyrics to Naruto's ringer, and, OMG GUYS I'M IN UNIVERSITY. I feel so _old_.

**Disenchanted**  
_Trusty steed? Check. Royal advisors? Check.  
But the princess? She'll take some work._

It was a serious blow to his ego to have not just Hinata, but _Naruto _– of all people – as well, helping Kiba do what he was put on the planet to do. Read: give the female population at large a goal to reach for.

But a deal was a deal, and Hinata had tried to help him. It was only right that Kiba return the favor. And besides, he was learning all sorts of new things about Sakura.

"She's broken her arm three times. Once, it was because she fell out of a tree. I don't know what she was doing up there – she's scared of heights. And then she wouldn't let anyone sign her cast, and she was always wrapping it with stuff to keep it white, and she would Febreze it…"

"She always had the best marks in her class, after Sasuke—"

"She's a caffeine junkie. Like once, she couldn't get coffee before school, so she drank about six cans of Pepsi. It was awesome—"

"She has a photographic memory. She always knows when someone has been in her room—"

"Seriously anal. She'll freak out if you try and bring food into her room—"

It helped that through all their discussions on Sakura, Hinata was getting so comfortable, enough to forget to be shy around Naruto. She spoke only to Kiba, her face was still red, her voice still soft, but she didn't back down. She was steady and more confident than Kiba had seen her yet, and he had to commend her for that.

But it was getting dark out, and Hinata confessed that she needed to leave.

"My cousin should be here soon, to pick me up," she told Kiba.

"He's super-protective," Naruto added knowledgeably.

Kiba nodded. "Okay. Thanks for your help. And," he snuck a quick glance at an oblivious Naruto, and pasted on an appropriately apologetic expression, "Sorry it didn't work out between us."

Hinata smiled shyly, a little dimple forming in her cheek. She stood up as a car pulled up outside their window. "Good luck," she said earnestly. "I hope I could help."

"You did," Kiba assured her.

"Bye, Hinata-chan!"

Hinata waved, clearly still a bit flustered as she disappeared out the door. Naruto and Sasuke were the only ones left in the café aside from Ami, still behind the counter. She glared at them and barked, "We're closing soon!"

"Jeez. What's her problem?"

"She doesn't take rejection well. Ignore her."

"Huh. She sounds a lot like you." Naruto folded his arms across his chest and leaned back in his chair, appraising Kiba with serious blue eyes. "I'm sure you were expecting this, but humor me."

"Lay it on me."

"Do you honestly like Sakura-chan?"

That was easy. "Yeah."

Naruto leaned forward again, shaking his head. "No, Kiba. Do you _like _her. Like, for real? Would you hurt her?"

This was getting a little too _Dr. Phil _for him. Kiba coughed.

"Kiba. I'm helping you because Sasuke doesn't love Sakura." Naruto clenched his jaw. "If you don't either—"

Hold up.

"Who said anything about _love?_" Kiba choked.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "You are such a typical womanizer. Leather jacket, commitment-phobic, wuss," he said, ticking each detail off as he spoke. "And, oh, yeah, going nuts over the girl who doesn't want you."

"Lots of girls don't want me," Kiba said, then winced. Bad wording. "But I don't go after every one."

Naruto didn't look impressed. "Let me put it this way. This," he held up his nearly-empty cut, "is Sasuke. And this," he pulled over Kiba's cup, "is Sakura."

"You know, I wasn't done."

Naruto ignored him and shook Kiba's cup. "Sakura loves Sasuke."

"So I've heard," he muttered. Was everyone out to get him down lately?

"Sasuke takes care of Sakura," Naruto went on, placing the Sasuke-cup protectively beside the Sakura-cup. "Sasuke protects Sakura and understands Sakura. Sasuke, in his way, loves Sakura." He looked up to make sure Kiba understood, picking up Hinata's abandoned cup. "The same way Naruto loves Sakura," he said, jiggling the new cup for emphasis. "With me so far?"

Kiba tried not to roll his eyes. "Could you maybe slow down, _sensei_?"

Naruto scowled at him, but otherwise acted as if he hadn't spoken. "Sakura wants to be with Sasuke," he said, putting the respective cups side-by-side. "And Sasuke will let her. Sasuke will stay with Sakura all her life if she wants him. But like this." He moved the cups apart so there were a good four inches between them. "Because Sasuke is distant and emo and doesn't love her, and Sakura will forgive him for that."

He glanced around the table, picked up the wrapper from his muffin. "Enter Kiba."

Kiba was horrified. Naruto either didn't notice or didn't care.

"Skirt-chasing jerk, likes Sakura, who likes Sasuke. But Naruto knows that that's never stopped Kiba." He moved around the cups and wrapper accordingly, involved in his little play. "Kiba has to make a decision. Does he _like _Sakura—" He put his wrapper and Kiba's cup close together for a moment—"Or does he just like her?" He pulled them apart by a half-foot.

Naruto shrugged, finally finished. "The choice is yours."

In response, Kiba reached over for his cup – the Sakura-cup – and drank deeply. When he set it down, Naruto was beaming.

"Atta boy."

**-x-**

Although, if Kiba was honest with himself, he didn't really have a response to Naruto's question. Plain and simple, he couldn't trust his judgment on girls. Kiba was a flirt, yes, but that had taken years to build up to. He had originally been – had _always _been – just a sucker for a pretty face.

And there was no denying that Sakura had a _very _pretty face.

He slid off his bed, stuffed his feet into his shoes, and slipped silently out the door. Naruto was going to bring down the dorm with the way he was snoring, and Kiba planned to be far, far away when that happened.

Ideally, he could find Sakura out on the campus grounds, bathed in moonlight. They would have a heart-to-heart (or mouth-to-mouth, either way…) and deal with this problem. She could be his, and he could either decide how serious he was, if at all, or get some time to do so.

But this wasn't really an ideal situation.

He shuffled out into the cool night air, and thought enviously of his dog, back at home. Akamaru never had to deal with this problem. He was neutered, for one thing.

Stretching quickly, Kiba readied himself for a run. Just once around the track, to get him tired enough to sleep through Naruto's racket.

It wasn't that Kiba wasn't serious about Sakura; it was just that he never _got_ serious about _anybody_. He went through girls like he went through meals, as horrible a comparison as that was. He was never interested enough, and neither were they. He hadn't even known anyone _could _feel the way Sakura felt about Sasuke. Needless to say, no one had ever felt that way about him.

But if someone did… if _Sakura _was in love with him the way she was with Sasuke, Kiba wouldn't turn away. He wasn't Sasuke, nothing like him. If he was in his shoes, he would love her right back. This, he knew.

He jogged to a stop, wiped the sweat off his brow. He was suddenly wired, in spite of his run, and as he walked back to his room, he stopped at a vending machine, considering.

He bought himself two cans of Pepsi.

**-x-**

The best thing about university for Kiba was his schedule. On his earliest day, he started at nine. On his latest day – today – he started at two. It was a pretty sweet deal, sleeping in until eleven every Monday.

Or, rather, he _would _be sleeping. If it wasn't for Naruto's damn cell phone. He growled, clapping his pillow over his head. He wasn't going to deal with the stupid thing. Why was Naruto always forgetting it? More importantly, who would call him in the first place? Besides the obvious, there was the fact that Naruto was so loud, you could practically hear him clear across the campus with no aid whatsoever.

The phone quieted as the call went to voicemail, and Kiba sighed.

But then it started again._They see me rollin', they hatin', patrolling they tryin' to catch me ridin' dirty…_

Kiba was starting to hate that song. A lot. Fed up, he tossed off his covers and rolled out of bed, making a mess of Naruto's already chaotic desk in an effort to find his phone. Oh, he would pay sorely later, Kiba thought nastily when he looked at the clock on his nightstand. It was only _nine! _Grumbling as he pulled a shirt on so he could walk out (though he didn't really think any of the girls minded his bare chest…) he flipped the phone open without so much as a glance at the screen.

"What," he said shortly, voice muffled through the fabric of the shirt he was tugging over his head.

"_Um… is this Naruto's phone?"_

Kiba froze, shirt only half-on. One arm was stuffed into the sleeve, he had only just emerged from the collar, and—

_Oh crap!_

He fixed his hair absently, then remembered that (a) Sakura couldn't exactly _see _him, (b) she probably wouldn't care, anyway, and (c) he had yet to even _say _anything.

"_Hello?"_

"Uh." Where the _hell _was his wit when he needed it? Way to charm her off her feet. "Naruto's in lecture."

"He forgot his phone again," she said. Her voice sounded far-away, and Kiba assumed she was speaking to someone else. There was a muffled noise he took as her reply, and realized that the other person must have been Sasuke. Oh boy.

"Could you tell him to call me back, please?" she asked. She was excruciatingly polite on the phone, he noted. Well, he liked nice girls, too. Well, mostly he just liked Sakura…

"No problem." Well, he was certainly outdoing himself today.

"Thanks. It's Sakura, by the way."

He smiled, leaning back against the desk and finally pulling his shirt all the way on. "I know who you are," he said slowly, regaining some of his inherent cockiness.

"Oh." She sounded surprised. "I'm sorry, I don't recognize you. Who is this?"

"It's Kiba," he said, biting his tongue before he could tack on a not-so-subtle come-on.

Sakura was silent for a moment. "Oh." She cleared her throat and said, dryly, but in a softer voice, so only he could hear, "I didn't know you could speak like a decent human being."

"There's a lot you don't know about me," he couldn't resist saying. "But you could learn."

"Cute," she said flatly. She had lost her earlier sweetness, and was back to being sarcastic, bristly Sakura, as she hadn't been for so long around him. He could imagine her, turned away from Sasuke to hide her blush, rolling her eyes at everything he said. "Just pass on the message, would you?"

"Sure thing," he said, just before she ended the call.

Kiba sighed, dropping the phone back on the desk. He shook his head, replaying the conversation in his mind – until he caught sight of his reflection in the mirror by the door. More specifically, the reflection of the goofy smile on his face. He scowled almost immediately.

God. What was this girl _doing _to him? Maybe this was what happened when you really liked a girl…? Kiba wouldn't know.

Kiba glanced again at his alarm clock. 9:12. He was never up so early unless he had class. But he could get used to waking up to her voice.

He snorted. He was becoming such a sap. He wouldn't let Naruto know about this. What he _would _do, however, was pocket Naruto's cell phone when he left the dorm to grab a bite to eat before class. After all, she just might call again. Never before had Kiba waited for a girl to call. He could scroll through Naruto's contacts right now and find her number, ring her up at any moment of the day – but he wouldn't. Sakura didn't want a womanizing man-slut. She wanted a knight in shining armor.

Kiba would do one better. He would be a Prince Charming.

**-x-**  
_Just taking that first step to change can be a challenge.  
And it's even worse when she doesn't seem to appreciate it.  
But trust me on this one; it's worth it in the long run. It is.  
_**-x-**


	7. Court Jester

I—I have no excuse. I went totally wild with this chapter. I wrote one draft of it, which was ridiculous and had no point, and then changed my mind and wrote this. I gave up on deep, meaningful plot. This is humor, through and through. Or possibly crack. I had _way _too much fun with this chapter, although this fic is, honestly, going nowhere at this point. ah well.

By the way, Twilight movie! I had to pay some homage to it.

**Disenchanted  
**_Sometimes it's difficult to be so hot._**  
**_Especially when it gets you the wrong attention._

"_No! Don't say that! We're together now. Everything will be fine!"_

"_At least I...got to see you...one last time..."_

"Oh boy. You've lost it."

Kiba blinked, looking away dazedly from his laptop's screen. Naruto stood in the doorway, looking sympathetic.

"A wha?" he asked, over the sound of Belle's heartfelt confession to the beast. Music trilled from his laptop speaker's and he cursed, turning back to hit pause. "Aw, you idiot, you made me miss it!"

Naruto rolled his eyes and entered the room, kicking the door closed behind him. "Why are you watching Disney movies?"

"Uh. Research for my Bio paper."

"…Wait, what?"

Kiba waved him off impatiently, already turning to fiddle through his desk drawers for his headphones. "You forgot your phone."

"Ah, damn. Any calls?"

"Just one. Sakura. She wants you to call her back," Kiba said, trying to keep his tone and expression neutral, and failing miserably, if the way Naruto was smirking at him was any indication.

"You only have one class today, right?"

"…Yeah."

"And you've been in here since you finished?"

"…Yeah."

"Watching Disney movies?"

Kiba sighed, swiveling his computer chair around to face Naruto. "Yeah," he admitted, resigned.

Naruto's grin was wide enough to split his face in two. "_In-_teresting."

"Oh, shut up," Kiba said irritably, chucking a pen at his forehead. Naruto winced. "Wimp," he said, not without a sick sort of pleasure.

"So violent. So what's the connection?" Naruto asked, jerking his chin at the screen, where Belle was frozen, sobbing, over the Beast's body.

Kiba hesitated, then help up a notepad. "I'm taking notes. On how to be chivalrous. Don't laugh," Kiba warned hastily. "You probably don't even know what the word means."

"I know it's something you're not," Naruto said easily. He wasn't laughing, but he _did _look amused. "What're the results?"

Kiba ran a hand over his face, then looked at his notes and cleared his throat. "Prince Charming is brave, chivalrous, and kind. He holds open doors and bows. He knows how to waltz, he's blond, and he's a virgin." He tossed the notepad back onto his desk. "How doomed am I?"

"If you're gonna live by _Cinderella_, then very. But lucky for you, you don't have to." Naruto rolled over onto his back, stretching and yawning hugely.

"Eh?" Kiba said eloquently.

"Well, Sakura's favorite fairy tale isn't _Snow White _or _Sleeping Beauty _or whatever." Naruto grinned, as if remembering an old memory. "It is, and always has been, _Shrek_. And you make a pretty good ogre."

Kiba didn't know whether to be relieved or perturbed: just what kind of nut was he into?

"Anyway," Naruto waved him off, pressing a button on his cell phone. "Let's see what the princess wants."

Kiba turned back to his laptop so he could pretend he wasn't eavesdropping.

"Sakura-chan! you called? … Yeah, I forgot it… I know, I'm sorry. You made Kiba's day, though." Kiba swiveled around to shoot Naruto the deadliest glare he could muster. "And now he's pissed I told you… Yeah, sorry. What? … Sure, I'll take you. When? Saturday? Cool. No, I won't forget! Relax! Tell Sasuke he owes me – I like those little fudge brownies…. He what? What an ass! I don't like him anymore. Tell him we're _so _over…. Just tell him! … hah! He can try! … Alright. See you soon. Bye, Princess! … Heh, ask Prince Charming. Bye!"

Naruto hung up and dropped his phone beside him, before looking up. Kiba was watching him, all decorum abandoned. Naruto grinned.

"Hey, Lover Boy. Keep Saturday free."

"Huh? Why?"

"Sakura needs me to play chauffeur since Sasuke's driving down to Suna. You can come with."

Kiba was skeptical. "You really think Sakura would appreciate that?"

"Probably not." Naruto shrugged, not looking too bothered. Then he grinned slyly, and Kiba squirmed. "I'm impressed. You're actually considering the girl's feelings for once?"

"Don't I always?" Kiba snapped. "They just… always happen to coincide with mine."

"You both wanna make out?" Naruto clarified.

"…Pretty much."

"Sucker," Naruto laughed. "Sakura's never even been kissed. I can't _wait_ for Saturday. You're gonna have to get her attention the old-fashioned way. You know, no tongue?" Naruto paused. "Well, except for talking, I guess, but you know. No kissing. Oh wait, you don't need your tongue if you don't french…"

While Naruto broke his brain trying to understand himself, Kiba closed his laptop thoughtfully. He looked at his sparse notes. They were no help anymore. Prince Charming wouldn't do, and he was no Shrek. He'd just have to wing it.

Well, he once did just that for a Psych exam and got an 'A' – this couldn't be _too _different.

He hoped.

**-x-**

They picked Sakura up from a Starbucks. She stood on the corner, just outside the door, sipping from a large frappucino, and she brought the scent in when she slid into the backseat.

"You're late," she informed Naruto, before catching sight of Kiba. "Oh," she said, clearly surprised, "Hi."

"Hey," Kiba greeted. Naruto snickered quietly to himself. Kiba ignored him. "Sorry we're late. Naruto's fault, of course." Naruto's fault for forgetting to fill up on gas and _already messing up Kiba's plans._ Idiot.

"Of course," Sakura said, so flatly that Kiba wasn't sure if she was agreeing or not.

Awkward silence fell in the car, punctuated only by the voice of Marilyn Manson coming through the speakers.

"is this my CD?" Kiba demanded of Naruto suddenly. Naruto glanced sideways at him.

"Maaaaybe?"

"I've been looking everywhere for this!"

"Naruto steals stuff a lot," Sakura piped up from the backseat. Kiba glanced back. Her arms were folded across her chest, one leg crossed over the other. She was wearing a skirt, and it took a lot of effort for Kiba to not appreciate (read: gawk at) the view. "He once 'borrowed' my English essay and never gave it back. The only time I failed to hand in an assignment on time," she added, kicking the back of Naruto's seat for emphasis. He protested this vehemently.

Kiba winced sympathetically. "Thanks for the warning."

Sakura smiled then, quickly, as if she didn't really mean to do it. "Anytime."

Before silence could settle over them again, Kiba asked, "So, where are we going?"

Sakura cocked an eyebrow. "You don't know? Uh, why are you _here_?"

Naruto grinned from ear to ear and said, before Kiba could cut him off, "Isn't it obvious? She's five-two, a super-genius, and outrageously female."

Sakura rolled her eyes. Kiba wanted to strangle Naruto. He had actually been doing _well _until that idiot blond had to go and—

"Daycare," Sakura mumbled. Kiba snapped his attention back to her. "I volunteer there," she explained. "Naruto goes with me sometimes. Sorry, I'm sure you didn't want to—"

"Cool," Kiba said hastily. "Kids are great. And I have nothing better to do."

Sakura stared at him. "It's _three hours_."

Seriously? Didn't kids take naps anymore? "I love kids," Kiba repeated, nodding emphatically. Then, realizing something, he asked, "You volunteer there? How often?"

"Uh, once a week," she replied, caught off-guard. "Every Saturday."

"You volunteer once a week, _and _work, what, three days a week?" Sakura nodded warily. "_And _you're doing pre-med at Oto?"

"How do you—"

Shoot. Way to creep the girl out. Hastily, he cut her off, "Do you ever _sleep?"_

Sakura smiled. "I volunteer at the hospital, too. Every Thursday."

Kiba exhaled gustily. This girl was insane. No wonder everyone kept telling him she was out of his league.

"You're completely nuts," Kiba told her sincerely. Well, she had the beauty and brains. _Something_ had to be wrong with her, he supposed. Well, besides the fact that she was in love with another guy and didn't really approve of him.

"Sasuke says the same thing," Naruto commented from beside him.

Kiba stifled a sigh. _Thanks for that, man_. "Well, he's supposed to be smart," he said wryly. "You should listen to him."

Sakura cocked an eyebrow challengingly. "Sasuke can't make me change. What makes you think _you _can?"

Ah, opportunity. Kiba smiled and answered, surprisingly honestly, "I don't _want _you to change. I like you just the way you are."

And then he turned in his seat to face forward with a warning glance at Naruto, and raised the volume on the stereo to drown out the stupid blond's stupid snickers.

Sakura was silent for the rest of the trip.

He wasn't just good. He was _so _good. Move over, Edward Cullen.

**-x-**

Immediately upon entering, Naruto was attacked by about six screeching demons—er, children. He laughed and allowed them to lead him away to play Pokémon Barbie, or whatever it was kids did. Half an hour later, he was _still _with them, carrying a little girl on piggyback and looking absolutely _thrilled_. Well, Naruto had always been a kid at heart.

Sakura, meanwhile, was hopelessly popular. Kiba was, of course, watching her, though he tried very hard to be subtle about it, and every two minutes a new kid seemed to walk up to her to tell her their life story. For her part, Sakura seemed enraptured, asking questions and offering them seats and toys and even cookies.

Kiba wondered why she didn't treat _him _so nicely. He didn't even have snot coming out of his nose!

But, he conceded, he _was _being ridiculous. He was here, wasn't he? Sasuke never joined her at the daycare, Sakura had told him earlier. She sounded nonchalant, but Kiba knew better. Sakura loved kids; Sasuke didn't. Sakura also loved animals; Sasuke did not. Kiba loved animals, and he was tolerant (read: baffled by) kids, so he already had something over Prince Sasuke.

Now he just had to show Sakura that.

Kiba raked a hand through his hair, glancing around disinterestedly. Or, what he hoped _seemed _disinterestedly. Yeah, she was still looking.

A little girl with black pigtails that poofed straight out from either side of her head wouldn't stop staring at Kiba. It was kind of creepy. The little boy beside him – who looked scarily similar to Sasuke – was staring at her. Kiba tried to nudge them together. They could amuse each other so he didn't have to show Sakura how horrible he was with kids. They weren't very responsive to his not-at-all subtle suggestions for them to "Go chill together."

Instead, the little girl stood up from her seat by a Mr. Potato Head and tottered over to Sakura. The mini-Sasuke's head swiveled round to watch her. Kiba's head swiveled round because he had a reason to check Sakura out, and he wasn't going to waste it.

She was kneeling down in front of two little boys. A plate of chocolate-chip cookies sat between them, and she was sucking some chocolate off her thumbs. Kiba noticed the boys watching her closely and had the craziest urge to cover their eyes. That wasn't cool. they were like _five_ – they had ages to find their own women!

One boy held out a napkin. "You can use mine," he told her earnestly. Sakura laughed but declined, and Kiba closed his eyes. Why was he so _paranoid? _That wasn't attractive, and Kiba _was_, so he was never paranoid. Right.

Sakura looked up to smile at Little Miss Pigtails. "Want a cookie, Akina?" Pigtails shook her head and said something in a low voice Kiba didn't really care to try and make out. Her back was to him, obscuring his view of Sakura, so he turned back to the building blocks in front of him.

"Hey, kid," he said, poking Mini-Sasuke. "Build something." Mini-Sasuke turned his head briefly enough to glare at him. Kiba gulped. Whoa. The tiny one was even scarier than the original.

"Hey, Kiba," Sakura called suddenly and, because he was obsessed and an idiot, he whipped around to look at her. She was smiling at him, and in an actually sweet way, the way she smiled at Naruto and Ino, and beckoning for him to join her.

He stood, stuffing his hands in his pockets, and noticed Mini-Sasuke doing the same. Kiba paused, staring at him, and Mini-Sasuke looked up expectantly, his hard expression from earlier melting into a shy smile. Well, okay. That was kind of creepy, considering how much he looked like El Broody.

Still, Kiba allowed the kid to trail behind him as he made his way to Sakura and Pigtails, who was turning bright, fire-truck red.

"You called?"

"I did. Sit," she said, patting the space beside her. Kiba tried not to look too pleased as he complied. "Hi, Sousuke," she added, vaguely surprised, to Mini-Sasuke.

_Sousuke? _Really? God, even the name was close.

"This is Akina," Sakura went on, pulling Pigtails closer to Kiba by the hand. Her eyes were wide, and she had her other hand bunched around the fabric of her red dress. Kiba smiled at her.

"'Sup?"

Akina flushed even deeper scarlet and backed away, plopping down beside Sousuke, who looked disappointed. Kiba raised his eyebrows.

"Something I said…?"

Beside him, Sakura giggled. When Kiba looked over at her for an explanation, she waved a hand. "You two talk. I'll get some juice. Sousuke, help me?"

When Sakura spoke, boys listened, Kiba supposed. Sousuke immediately stood to follow her, and Kiba and Akina were left.

Alone.

A rather disturbing thought occurred to Kiba, and his eyes widened. Why did it seem like Sakura was trying to set him up with a five-year-old?

Said five-year-old was blushing and trying to sneak inconspicuous glances at him. Kiba groaned. Talk about _awkward_.

He cleared his throat. "So. How's it goin'?"

Akina smiled widely at him. Dimples formed in her chubby cheeks. Really, Kiba thought, she was a pretty cute kid. Just not – he cringed – _his type_.

This was so typical of his luck. He tried to be charming for Sakura, and he had a _baby _swooning after him!

Dammit.

He really couldn't be expected to break this tiny girl's tiny heart, could he? But he couldn't… lead her on, either.

Ah, hell, _what was he thinking?  
_

Kiba sighed, pasted on a friendly smile, and took a cookie, offering the plate to Akina. "Dig in," he said, and she hesitated, then took one.

"You can talk, you know. I don't bite."

Akina giggled at that, then said, in a high-pitched, childish voice, "Nee-san said you're nice." She looked skeptical – for a kid, anyway. "Are you?"

"Sakura said that? Really?" Kiba suddenly really, _really _loved this kid. "What else did she tell you?"

"That you liked girls and that you were very funny." Akina paused, thinking. "I asked if you were nee-san's boyfriend. She said no." She smiled, suddenly shy, and Kiba grinned back. Ridiculous, how this bit of information put him on such a high.

"Wanna hear a secret?" Akina asked, standing up. Kiba nodded, holding his hands out to hear when she started to walk towards him. It was instinct – he opened his arms to Akamaru whenever he trotted towards him, too.

Akina whispered in his ear – loud enough for half the room to hear – "I like you, Mr. Kiba."

Kiba didn't know what was more mortifying: the confession, the name, or Sakura, just returning from her juice run.

Very aware of this last fact, Kiba pulled Akina down to sit beside him. "Tell you what," he said, offering her another cookie. "Come to me when you're legal, okay? We'll get married."

Akina burned red. So did Sousuke – but out of anger, not embarrassment. Dear God. The boy was jealous. Kiba was in a love triangle with _babies_. It was like freaking _Passions _for the toddler set!

What was _wrong _with his life?

Sousuke growled and stood, grabbing Akina's hand. "Come on. We're playing with the blocks," he barked, yanking her away. Akina didn't protest, only turned to wave happily at Kiba, probably to assure him she hadn't forgotten about him. Great.

Sakura dropped down in front of Kiba. Her eyes were bright with amusement. "Very romantic," she commended.

Kiba flicked a cookie crumb at her. "Shut it, you."

She only laughed, propping her chin up in her upturned palms, elbows on her knees. "You're her first love. It's cute." She cocked her head, smile dimming. "Though you get that a lot, I'm sure."

"Don't be, 'cause I don't. You know," he mused aloud, "My first love was my babysitter. Her name was Kurenai." He sighed mournfully. "She went and got a boyfriend on my eighth birthday. It broke my heart."

"Ouch."

He shrugged. "I got over it. I break hearts. I get mine broken. It's life. You just keep going." Kiba's smile was wry. "What's that saying? 'It's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all'? Well, why not?"

Sakura looked impressed. Kiba tried not to look smug. "Very deep. You should write a book."

"On what?" Kiba laughed. "The enchanted fairy tale journey of love?"

"More like _dis_enchanted," she replied dryly. "But yeah. Why not? You know enough about it."

Kiba refused to rise to the bait. He looked her dead in the eye so she'd get the point when he said, "I know a fair bit. Wanna hear?"

**-x-  
**_Hey, the fairy tales have a lot to say._**  
**_But even though Cinderella is 'The greatest love story ever told'…_**  
**_Well, who says it can't be beat?_**  
-x-**


	8. Girls in Towers

I really would like to finish this fic in '08. Let's hope! And since we're nearing the end—would anyone be interested in future KibaSakus from me?  
And haha, this chapter is exactly a month after the last one. I find this fascinating. Plus I just changed all my chapter titles. I am very pleased. Go me.

**Disenchanted  
**_Step aside, Tall, Dark, and Handsome,  
I do it better._

It didn't really surprise Kiba when Sakura's cheeks flamed red and she dropped her gaze from his. It bothered him, sure, but that wasn't enough to deter him. He prided himself on his tenacity.

He flicked a glance at Naruto, who was now playing Horsey with about three kids. It looked painful.

"I'm not great with kids," Kiba admitted, turning back to Sakura.

"I wouldn't say that," she said, probably referring to Akina. Kiba grinned.

"No, I'm just good with girls." Sakura tensed. Kiba probably wasn't doing this right, but he had to get it all out there. He had never been one to hold back. "I like girls. A lot."

"I know." Well, at least she was looking at him now. Her eyes were narrowed with the barest hint of impatience, but Kiba plowed on, not taking his eyes off hers.

"But I'm not as bad as you think," he protested. "I know you think I'm just some sleazy womanizing pervert, but I'm really not. I'm a good guy." Sakura didn't look convinced. "Weren't we getting along just now?" he reminded her.

"That's because, for once, you weren't hitting on me," she exclaimed, obviously fed-up.

Kiba was surprised. "You don't like it?"

"No," she said firmly, "I don't." She wouldn't look at him. "I've endured three weeks of your measured looks and touches and your calculated innuendo and _everything_ that makes you a skirt-chaser. I'm not some variable to fit into your patented womanizing approach."

Her cheeks were flushed, and she licked her lips nervously in the silence that followed her speech. Kiba was taken aback.

But he could change. He was _trying _to change. He had never given so much attention to a girl before, never made so much of an effort to get her to see _him. _That had always just come naturally to him.

But with Sakura… he was up against Sasuke. Sasuke, who Sakura loved, and couldn't love her back.

_Sasuke…_

Kiba got to his feet. Sakura was silent as he walked away from her.

**-x-**

Kiba wasn't one to waste time. He left the daycare and Sakura, pulled out his cell phone, rang up Ino, and got Sasuke's number before the bus came. Then, as he sank into the upholstered seats, right across from a brunette who wouldn't stop smiling at him, he called Sasuke.

"_Hello?"_

"Sasuke." Kiba cleared his throat. "It's Kiba."

Sasuke was silent for a moment. _"What."_

Oh, yeah, Kiba could really see the appeal. What did Sakura _see _in him?

"I need to talk to you."

"_That's nice. Bye."_

Kiba rolled his eyes. "It's about Sakura." Out of the corner of his eye, Kiba noticed the hopeful grin slide off the brunette's face.

Sasuke didn't say anything for a moment, and Kiba wondered if he had hung up. He was just pulling his phone away from his ear to check, when Sasuke said:

"I'll meet you at your university's library. Be there in five minutes."

He was ten minutes away, not including stops or counting traffic, but Kiba figured that the princess could wait a few extra minutes. "Cool. See you."

He clicked off, stuffed his phone back in his pocket, and leaned back in his seat to enjoy the ride. He was almost there.

**-x-**

"You're _late_."

"And _you're _a brat."

Sasuke glared. Kiba scowled right back. For a moment, no one moved, and Kiba was starting to wonder just what the hell was in the juice at the daycare.

But then Sasuke sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I don't have time for this," he said, and that was when Kiba noticed the bulging bag of books slung over his shoulder, the bags under his eyes, and the messy ruffle of his hair. For a split-second, he felt bad – before remembering why he had called Sasuke, and why Sasuke had come.

He really _did _care about Sakura. Would he even help Kiba, renowned skirt-chaser and number-one flirt? Only one way to find out.

Kiba willed himself to remain unblushing and cool in front of the only person in the world that could get more girls than him. "I really like Sakura," he said slowly, choosing his words carefully.

Sasuke's expression didn't change. "I know."

"And I want to show her that."

"So show her."

Kiba stared at Sasuke. He looked hardly bothered by the subject of their conversation. He even looked a bit bored.

"Sakura's in love with _you," _Kiba felt he should point out.

Sasuke's expression flickered for only a moment, and it was then that Kiba noticed the tension in his shoulders, his defensive stance.

"I know," Sasuke said again. He sounded tired, weary. The more Kiba watched him, the more he could see the concern in those coal-black eyes, the uncomfortable twitching of his fingers around the strap of his backpack.

Sakura would never stand a chance with Sasuke. And despite knowing that, Sasuke wasn't doing anything about it.

But he could now.

"Let's start over," Kiba suggested. "You up for a coffee?"

**-x-**

Sasuke said Sakura needed time. But Kiba thought she had had too much time, and she still hadn't moved on from Sasuke. As far as Kiba was concerned, she needed a shove in the right direction, and she needed it _now_.

Still, he would give her two days. Partly to let her cool down, and partly because he didn't know where else to find her.

So on Monday afternoon, Kiba made his way to the vet's office, Akamaru in tow. He needed a check-up, anyway.

He said a quick hello to Yuuki. She wanted him to stop and chat, but Kiba was on a mission, and slipped out back before she could stop him. As expected, there was Sakura, throwing a ball for a big German Shepherd, who went leaping, barking wildly as he chased the toy. Akamaru yipped happily at Kiba's feet, and Sakura turned at the sound. She spotted his little white dog first, and brightened. Then she glanced up at Kiba.

She frowned. Kiba smiled. "Hey."

"Hey yourself," she muttered. The German Shepherd came back, and Sakura leaned down to take the ball from it. Kiba respectfully averted his gaze.

Well, after a little peek. Old habits died hard.

"Can I talk to you?"

"If I say yes, will you stop stalking me?"

Sasuke had warned him about this. Kiba tried not to take it personally.

"Depends on your answer," he said lightly. Sakura quirked an eyebrow at him, and he moved closer. The German Shepherd was back, butting its nose against Sakura's hand. She didn't seem to notice. Kiba took the ball it had dropped and threw it across the yard. That would buy him a few seconds of privacy.

Sakura was still staring at him with a mixture of annoyance and curiosity. Kiba cleared his throat, choosing his words carefully. This was a risky thing to do. If he messed up, Sakura could _really _hate him forever. On the other hand, if he played his cards right…

Sakura was looking more and more impatient by the second. Maybe he was _over-_thinking. Sasuke would say there was no such thing, but then, Kiba wasn't Sasuke. That was the point of his little endeavor.

"Go out with me," he said in a rush. Sakura stared at him with quickly rising irritation. He had to push on, before he totally lost her.

"Give me a chance," he said. "I won't let you regret it." Sakura looked doubtful. "Don't you want to be swept off your feet?"

She shook her head, obviously exasperated, and crouched down to scratch Akamaru behind his ears. He wagged his tail happily, leaning into her touch.

"He likes you," Kiba observed.

"He's cute," Sakura said, standing up and turning away from them. Akamaru barked cheerfully and trotted after her. She didn't shoo him away, and Kiba scowled at his ex-best friend. _Traitor._

"Come on, Sakura," he said, striding after her. He dodged around the bones, balls and dogs as he caught up to her and reached out to grab her by the elbow. "You can't pine after Sasuke forever."

She spun around, eyes narrowed into a furious glare. He had said the wrong thing – again – but Kiba wasn't about to back down. He took both her hands into his, staring her down just as intensely as she was glowering at him.

"What? You know it's true. You want to spend your entire life wishing he saw you for what you're worth? Guys stare at you, Sakura. They check you out, and they smile when you talk to them, and they think you're amazing. You're gorgeous and you're funny and you're smart…"Her gaze was softening. Kiba took that as a good sign. "I'm not the only one that notices you, but you don't see _anyone, _because all you care about is Sasuke."

She slumped visibly, gaze dropping to her shoes. Kiba paused in his tirade. Had he gone too far?

"I know," she said, so quietly he almost didn't hear.

Kiba blinked down at her. Her pink ponytail had slipped over one shoulder, and there were three dogs, including Akamaru, gathered around her feet. Kiba loosened his grip on her hands, but she didn't pull away.

"I really like you, Sakura. I'm sure this doesn't come as a surprise to you, but I do. And I know you have a bit of a crush on me."

At that, her head snapped up. She was scowling now. "_Ew. _Get over yourself, Casanova," she snapped, sounding truly disgusted.

But she was blushing.

Kiba grinned. "It's okay. Even perfect girls get crushes on guys like me." Sakura rolled her eyes, and he backtracked. "I mean—" Kiba sighed. This was going to take some work. He was willing to go the extra mile, but could she take the first step?

Then he had a thought. Sakura said she didn't like his personality, but he had just been himself since they had known each other, and he still caught her eye. So maybe he didn't have to change so much as show her what he was all about.

If any girl needed some attention from a guy, it was Sakura. And if there was any guy that could make a girl feel like a princess straight out of Disney, it was Kiba.

He put a hand under her chin and lifted her gaze to meet his. He could see his expression, uncharacteristically serious, reflected in her confused green eyes.

"I couldn't help but notice that you're gorgeous," he said, thinking back to the day they first met. "Won't you allow me the pleasure of taking your breath away?"

Sakura was silent for a long moment, and Kiba didn't press her. Finally, her fingers tightened around his, and she looked up at him. Her lips were pursed, and her eyebrows furrowed, but when she spoke, her voice was clear.

"Okay."

All she said was one word, but Kiba broke out into a grin more appropriate for Naruto. Sakura eyed him warily.

"I'm going to regret this, aren't I?"

Kiba laughed, sliding his hands out of hers. "Not a chance."

Then he leaned down, put a hand on the back of her neck to press her closer, and in front of a dozen onlooking puppies, kissed her.

**-x-**  
_Going for a girl who's in love with someone else is the stupidest thing you can do.  
But I did it anyway.  
Because I'm a sucker for this girl. And if you are too, you should be doing the same.  
**-x-**_


	9. The Ballroom Dance

Early Christmas present? :D HAPPY HOLIDAYS, PEOPLE.

I updated less than 24 hours ago (23, haha) and I'm already working on the next chapter. I will SO finish this in '08! So yes, for all the KibaSaku lovers, this chapter doesn't have much going on, just fluff… until next chapter, where everything wraps up.

Also! If anyone's heard "Falling For You," by Busted? Early-stages-of-girl-chasing Kiba, right there.

Also, I hope this isn't necessary for me to actually say, but whatever - the texts aren't all capitalized properly for a _reason._

**Disenchanted  
**_Relationships aren't always about the romance.  
Because that's for pansies._

This was usually when the excitement started wearing off.

Four weeks after getting interested in a girl usually meant that Kiba had been dating her for three weeks. Three weeks was when the fun started to wear off and he began to distance himself to prepare the girl for the inevitable break-off.

Of course, the rules didn't really apply to Sakura. As of now, Kiba had been going out with her for less than a week. She was always busy with work, classes, and volunteering, too, so he rarely saw her.

So yes, he was still interested. It had taken three weeks to get her to stop _hating _him, and he was going to make the effort worth it – for both of them.

Sakura glanced up, one eyebrow cocked. "Why are you staring at me?"

There were so many ways to answer that, but Sakura would probably walk out on him for any of them.

"Better you than my textbook," he said instead, gesturing to his Sociology textbook, opened to a chapter on Max Weber. His bearded, black-and-white picture stared up at Kiba, and he added, cautiously: "You're way hotter than him."

Sakura smiled at that, shaking her head, and Kiba let out a breath. She was so horrible at receiving compliments from him usually – it was always a risk to act the way he wanted around her.

They were in the library, at a desk in one of the private rooms on the third floor. The rooms were against the glass walls, and when Kiba looked out, he could see the fat drops of rain hitting the windows, the large oak trees littering Konoha U's campus swaying in the wind.

He stretched his arms out and cocked his head, studying Sakura closely. She had already turned back to her textbook, and she was twirling a purple gel pen in her fingers as she read, lips pursed thoughtfully.

He waited for her to finish her page before he spoke up. "I'm bored."

She set down her pen and propped her cheek against one fist, elbow on the table. "You're less of a boyfriend, and more like a very small child."

"That's okay. You like kids."

Sakura laughed, and shut her textbook. "Fine. What do you want to do?"

Kiba blinked. "Really?" Sakura never set aside her books for him. She was the studious little super-nerd he could never hope to be. But he wasn't about to miss the opportunity to spend some quality with her. He leaned forward, lips pulling back into a smile. "No books? No work? No brats?"

"It's just you and me from here," she said, packing up her books and pens. As she slid everything into her bag, head ducked so her hair fell over to hide her face, she added in a softer voice, "Besides, this is all about change, isn't it?"

Kiba was, of course, grateful to Sasuke for advising him the week before, but he didn't see any reason to let Sakura know about his involvement. Sasuke treated Kiba like a nuisance, but he was counting on him to help Sakura move on. So he never mentioned him, and neither did Sakura. She spent all her free time studying at Konoha U now, and Kiba was her new chauffeur.

Still, he wondered how she felt, cutting herself off from the person who meant everything to her. And while it stung Kiba a little that he wasn't first in her thoughts, it mostly made him feel sorry for her.

Which was why he was going to give her the best relationship of her life.

"Plus," she said, "You've been good so far."

"This is my reward?" he asked.

"Yup."

He paused, then shrugged. "I'll take it." He held out one hand to her, stuffing his books in his messenger bag with the other. "Let's go."

She grabbed her book bag, just as he yanked her out the door, down the corridors, down the stairs, and out into the pouring rain.

"I guess this means no picnics in the park," he said, ushering her down the hill to the student parking lot. Sakura shot him a very sarcastic look, brushing the sopping wet hair from her eyes and Kiba squeezed her hand. "We'll have deep, meaningful conversation over coffee. Sound good?"

She smiled. "Sounds great."

"Great," he said, sliding into the driver's seat and turning automatically to Sakura.

She was tugging on his perpetually problematic seatbelt, scowling. "Why don't you get this fixed?" she grunted.

Kiba grinned in a way that made her eyes grow wide, and leaned over to take the belt from her fingers. "Three guesses," he said casually, smoothing the belt against Sakura's collarbone. She flamed red, and—yes, her gaze dropped to his lips.

Kiba was more than happy to oblige. Sakura had only let him kiss her that first day, when she had finally accepted his advances. He didn't try to press her – even if the majority of his past relationships had centered on kissing – but he wasn't about to give up the chance.

But just before he could lean closer, she pulled back, locking the belt into place. "It's cold."

He stared at her for a long moment, before settling back in his seat and turning the heater on. She stared out the window, silent, for the rest of the ride.

**-x-**

"I'll get drinks. You sit and look pretty." Kiba paused. "But not _too _pretty."

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows, but did as told, crossing the café to drop into a corner booth. As soon as she sat, she took out her Organic Chemistry textbook from his bag. Kiba made a face at her, turning to the counter.

Where he came face-to-face with Ami.

Kiba blinked. Ami stared back at him. He pulled out his wallet. "Two hot chocolates and a slice of chocolate cake, please," he said, thumbing through the bills. Ami moved, silently, to get his order.

When she came back, he had the correct change counted out and waiting on the counter. She slid the money off the counter, eyes on Sakura.

"Is that your girlfriend?" She sounded surprised, probably that a serious, bookish girl like Sakura would ever associate with the likes of him. Well, Kiba was surprised too, sometimes.

"Yeah," he said, taking the cups she held out. "Cute, isn't she?"

He didn't wait for her reply – not that it seemed forthcoming any time soon – and turned to head towards Sakura. When she saw him coming, she shut her textbook, pushing it to rest by her elbow.

"Quit studying, you make me look bad," he admonished, setting the drinks and dessert down.

"Can't have that, can we?" She eyed the chocolate cake with a grin. "I've gotta hand it to you," she said, picking up a fork. "You _do _know how to treat girls."

"Of course I do. Why would I lie?" He held a forkful of chocolate cake in front of her. "Say 'ah.'"

Sakura laughed, popping her own fork in her mouth. "No way."

"Humor me," Kiba said dryly. She swallowed her mouthful and stared at the fork he was offering her. Finally, she sighed, leaning forward to take the bite.

"Happy?" she asked.

Kiba took another forkful of chocolate cake, this time putting the fork into his own mouth. "Very," he said around his full mouth.

Sakura felt her cheeks warm, and took a sip of hot chocolate to distract herself. "I love it here," she said offhandedly. "We've been coming for years, Sasuke really—" She broke off, eyes lowering to the table between them. "Sorry."

Kiba set down his fork. "Sasuke really what?" he prodded gently.

Sakura's voice was so low Kiba had to lean forward to hear her. "Sasuke really likes their coffee. He takes it black, but only when he's studying."

Kiba reached across the table to pat her hand, and Sakura slid her hand into his, her palm warm against his.

"Black coffee is gross. I kind of prefer some sweetness in my life," he said, and even though he hadn't been trying to charm her, she smiled at him, grateful and wide.

"So do I," she said, lifting the last forkful of cake to _his _lips this time. "My turn. Open wide!"

He laughed, took the cake without complaint, and didn't let go of her hand until they reached the car, just as a proper boyfriend should do. Sakura looked happier than he had ever seen her.

**-x-**

It was Saturday, and Kiba had told Naruto to take the day off, spend some time with Hinata. The blond had agreed easily enough, and Kiba left him to Google show times for some stupid comedy.

A week ago, she had barely been speaking to him. Now, exactly seven days, 168 hours later, Kiba stood at the same spot, Sakura beside him, staring at him like he didn't repulse her. _Sweet._

The moment Kiba entered the daycare, Akina launched herself at him, and it was only his quick reflexes that allowed him to grab her and steady himself before they both tumbled to the floor.

Sakura laughed at the sight, stripping off her coat, and Kiba scowled at her.

"Why can't you be a normal, protective girlfriend?" He set Akina on her feet and ruffled her hair. "Hey, kid."

"You want me to, what, fight a five-year-old for my boyfriend?" Sakura asked, obviously amused, just as Akina exploded with, "_Girlfriend?"_

Kiba was distracted by his irrational happiness (she had called him her _boyfriend!) _and glanced down at Akina. She looked positively heartbroken. Too late, he remembered her crush. That was still going on?

"Oh, Akina…" Sakura sighed, helpless.

Kiba, meanwhile, was scanning the room for Sousuke. He was nowhere to be found.

"Where's the Mini-Sasuke?" he muttered to Sakura.

She blinked. "Who—_Sousuke?_" She gave him an odd look and said, "Uh, I think he went on vacation with his parents. He'll be back on Monday."

Armed with this info, Kiba nodded, and leaned down to scoop an unhappy Akina into his arms. "Okay. We're gonna have a heart-to-heart now. No interruptions," he said firmly. Sakura turned away to hide a smile, and Akina buried her face in the crook of Kiba's neck. She smelled like baby powder, and the red velvet of her dress was warm against his arm.

"I thought you would marry me, Mr. Kiba," she sniffled pathetically. Kiba winced at the name, then set her down on a chair by the window in the corner, and crouched before her.

"Something, ah, came up."

That didn't seem to help. Akina's eyes were large and watery – even her _pigtails _seemed to droop. Kiba groaned, running a hand over his face.

"Look, Akina – you like Sakura, right?"

"'Nee-san?" She sniffed, then nodded. "Uh-huh."

"So can you see why _I _like her?" he pressed.

Akina bit her lip, looking disheartened. "Yeah…"

Well, that was easy enough. "Then will you forgive me for being her boyfriend?"

She patted him on the cheek, looking like she was trying very hard not to pout. "I forgive you," she mumbled, resigned.

Kiba smiled at her. She _was _a cute kid, even if she was in love with him. At least he knew she had good taste.

"Mr. Kiba?"

"Yeah?"

Akina glanced around furtively, then beckoned him closer. Puzzled, Kiba leaned forward, and she did the same, to whisper in a voice loud enough for the entire room to hear: "Do you _kiss _nee-san?"

She looked petrified at the thought, but – when Kiba looked around – he could see Sakura watching them closely, a small, amused smile flickering about her lips.

"When she lets me," he told Akina honestly. She scrunched up her nose, and Kiba added defensively, "Girls like that."

Akina looked as skeptical as possible for someone who still believed in cooties. "No, I don't think they do."

Little brat, he thought fondly. All girls should be so stubborn. He thought of Sakura. Well… maybe they could be a little more accepting. At least around him.

"No, it's true," he said, putting a hand behind Akina's head to bring her towards him, so he could give her a kiss on the forehead.

When he pulled away, she was smiling shyly, cheeks blooming with red.

"See?"

"Uh-huh." She nodded emphatically, jumping down from her chair and wrapping her arms around his waist. "I love you, Mr. Kiba."

Kiba glanced over to see if Sakura was still watching. She was. He raised his eyebrows at her expectantly. She turned away, but Kiba figured, if he could win over a heartbroken five-year-old…

**-x-**

Three hours later, Kiba was pulling on his jacket, when Sakura came up behind him, winding her arms around his. She rested her chin on his shoulder, stared up at him, and cooed playfully, "Don't tell me you're not good with kids, Kiba."

"I'm not, though," he said. "I'm about to scar them for life."

Even so, when he leaned down, he only kissed the top of her head. Sakura stared up at him, clearly bemused, but already kids were breaking out into choruses of "Ew! Cooties!"

Kiba turned to the little monsters. Another girl Sakura's age was just exiting the cloakroom to take on her shift, watching them, as he told the kids:

"One day, trust me, you'll be doing the same thing. Hands off Akina, though, alright?"

And then, hand on the small of her back, Kiba led Sakura out the door.

**-x-**

He finally had to let her go back to her dorm to study. Sakura made him promise to finish his essay that night, and although Kiba agreed, she still texted him to remind him an hour after they separated – which was probably a good thing, considering he was, instead of working, playing Spider Solitaire.

Kiba took it as a good sign that she knew him so well, and was such a good influence, too. He texted her to say so.

**we're meant to be. my parents will be so proud.**

Her reply was immediate: **Is that so? Go back to your essay.**

**harsh. don't you wanna talk to me?**

**Sure, but I'd rather you not waste time.**

**you're not a waste of time.**

It was then that Naruto came banging in, and Kiba dropped his phone onto his desk to turn to him.

"How was the movie?"

"Terrible! Hinata-chan and I left it to go get ramen. It was awesome."

"Of course it was. Did she have fun?"

"I think so. She was smiling a lot."

"I'll bet." His phone beeped to signal a new text, and Kiba snatched it up.

**You're awful sweet, Mr. Kiba.**

He texted back: **i do believe i've finally charmed you**, before looking back at Naruto. He was pulling a can of coke from the mini-fridge.

"Sakura?"

"Sakura."

Naruto took a long gulp of his drink, then wiped his mouth and said, "You get this goofy look on your face whenever you talk to her. it's sickening."

His phone beeped, so rather than make any verbal response, Kiba flipped him off. Naruto laughed.

**Don't push it. FINISH YOUR ESSAY.**

Kiba laughed. In Sakura's world, that translated to "Don't text me back," and so he sent her a winking smiley, then set down his phone.

"Have fun with the kids today?" Naruto asked, now pulling out a bar of chocolate. He was so unhealthy. Plus, all that sugar and caffeine couldn't be good for someone already as annoying as Naruto.

"Yeah, it was cool. It's like twenty mini-Narutos running around, but more mature."

Naruto made a face. "Funny." He finally shut the fridge door and leaned against it, eyeing Kiba thoughtfully. "Lee's birthday party is next Friday. Are you going?"

"Probably," Kiba said absently, pulling up his essay on his laptop. "If Sakura wants to."

"Hmm." Naruto sounded off, but Kiba didn't really care. Naruto was just weird. It was best not to worry about it.

Naruto fell silent, and Kiba focused back on his paper, due in two days. Sakura really _was _a good influence. Where had she _been _all his life?

**-x-**

"You dressed up for _me?" _Kiba asked, pleasantly surprised at Sakura's appearance. Make-up, chandelier earrings, and a green top that brought out her eyes, and she looked even prettier than Kiba always found her.

"No, for Lee," she corrected with a grin.

"_More _competition? great," he sighed, shaking his head in mock annoyance. Sakura giggled, and they opened the door to the townhouse Lee shared with his best friend Neji. The party was already in full swing, crowds of people filling the small house. The foyer was nearly empty, though, so Sakura immediately spotted the person waiting just inside. Her eyes widened, and Kiba turned, curious.

Sasuke stood with his hands shoved in his pockets, looking uncomfortable.

"Hey," he said awkwardly.

"Hi," Sakura breathed.

Kiba stepped away from her. She didn't seem to notice.

**-x-  
**_Ex-boyfriends are a nightmare.  
Ex-crushes are worse.  
But ex-Sasukes? You might as well give up and save yourself the embarrassment.  
_**-x-**


	10. Ever After

Final chapter - _in '08_! I DID IT! Thanks to everyone who read this fic, and hooray for anyone who has seen the wonderful and amazing and perfection that is KibaSaku. I'll probably be back with these two sometime soon (it's in the planning stages), and I hope some of you might check it out. Until then, enjoy the last chapter!

A few things: (1) past chapters have been primarily told from Kiba's perspective. This one takes a shift. And yes, I had to state that. idk why, either; (2) the line "Love me. Feed me. Never leave me." is from _Garfield_. I don't own; (3) as always, I love good concrit for my final chapter. What did you like about this fic? What didn't you like? I doubt I'll be writing something like this again, but any comments would help; and (4) I don't know if anyone could tell, but those notes in italics at the end of every chapter are written by Kiba, sometime in the future after this fic ends. Yeah.

And on a final, unrelated note – this is my only place to pimp it right now, so guys, check out Epic ADD's fic, _Spice Jam! _It's a collab between me, the blanket, and Queen Pina (psh, she wishes), and it's quite possibly going to be the crackiest fic to hit ffnet since ever. It's not a KibaSaku officially, but come on, guys. Have a _little _faith in me. ;)

Also, despite all my mocking, I love fairy tales. With a passion. _Cinderella_ owns my soul.

**Disenchanted  
**_If nothing else,  
Always go out with a bang._

"Can we talk?"

Sakura took a breath and glanced around the foyer. Where was Kiba—?

"Sakura?"

She looked back at Sasuke. He was waiting patiently for her answer, so she stepped up beside him, feeling the familiar comfort and peace welling up inside her. He led her up the stairs to an empty bedroom – Lee's, judging by the bright green furnishings.

Even when she took a seat on the bed and he leaned against the closed door, arms folded across his chest, he stayed silent, watching her carefully.

Sakura tried to smile. "Funny, you're not usually the one who _wants _to talk."

Sasuke didn't look amused. "You've been avoiding me."

Sakura shifted uneasily on the bed. She didn't know what to say. Luckily, Sasuke went on:

"I know you're trying to get over me. I'm glad. Kiba's… not ideal, but at least he treats you right." He paused, dark eyes probing. "He _does _treat you well, right?"

Sakura didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She settled for nodding mutely. Then she licked her lips and said, "How—why—I'm lost."

Sasuke moved to sit beside her on the bed, careful to not touch her. "Sakura, I've been looking out for you since we were kids, trying to make you happy. I know what's right for you, maybe better than you do yourself." He was quiet for a moment, letting her digest this piece of information, before continuing: "I know you've liked me since we were little, just as much as you know I've never returned the feelings."

It was true that she had always known her feelings were unrequited, but it still hurt to hear him say it. To his credit, even Sasuke's eyes were pinched, troubled by the pain he knew he was inflicting on her.

"I want what's best for you," he went on in a softer voice, turning to look straight at her. She met his gaze head-on, swallowing past the quickly-forming lump in her throat. "And I thought Kiba was it."

_No_, she wanted to say. _You're best. You always have been. _Instead, she just shook her head, managing a weak, sarcastic laugh. "Are you kidding me, Sasuke?" She rolled her eyes. "He's a complete flirt! He'll drop me in a week."

"Seems like he's pretty loyal to me," Sasuke said casually, though he had to know how heavy his words were. _Loyal_. That was all Sakura wanted.

Still, Kiba was the furthest thing from loyal, as much as he was starting to grow on her. It was only a matter of time before he found another girl. That was just how Kiba _was._

"But that isn't what I wanted to talk to you about," Sasuke said. Sakura looked at him. He wouldn't meet her gaze, and her heart sunk.

Then Sasuke did something he had never done before. He put his hand over hers. It was cold against her skin – or maybe the chill was inside of her. Because for Sasuke to initiate any sort of physical contact could only mean he was trying to soften the blow he was about to deliver to her heart.

"I don't want you to avoid me," Sasuke said slowly, "Just because I'm not in love with you."

Sakura was quiet, stunned. How could he say that to her? Why would she avoid Sasuke—

But then, she _had _been avoiding Sasuke, she realized. Somehow, her relationship with Kiba had always felt temporary, and not necessarily because of him and his skirt-chasing ways. No, it had been because of _her_. Sakura didn't think she could stay away from Sasuke for long – had never really thought it necessary. He was all she needed.

But he wouldn't let her stay with him.

She had to clench her hands in the forest green bedspread under her to distract herself from her rising panic. Sasuke had been her whole world for so long. She had centered her entire life around him, from the moment he led her out of her own house by the hand, carrying her bags over his shoulders. She still remembered how he sat by her bedside as she cried herself to sleep that first night, and how he had been by her side since.

Sakura didn't want to leave his side. She was too scared to.

She had stayed silent for too long, staring unseeingly down at her denim-clad knees. Sasuke spoke up again: "One day, you're going to get married." His voice was gentle. "And it probably won't be to me. That doesn't mean I won't be in your life."

And that was all it took for her to fall into his arms, barely biting back tears.

**-x-**

"You're not staying for the rest of the party?"

Sasuke shook his head, getting to his feet. "I don't like them."

Of course. He had only ever stayed for her, and Sakura didn't need him now – not when she had Kiba. Or so he thought, anyway. But she didn't pressure Sasuke to stay. His entire speech had been equivalent to one whole month's worth of conversation for him – she couldn't really expect any more from him.

And Sakura wanted him to leave before he saw her cry.

After all, Sasuke was right. Kiba was a good guy. Kiba was funny and charming and sweet…

She repeated this thought, like a mantra, as she headed downstairs, Sasuke behind her, and headed for the living room.

Sakura scanned the room for Kiba. He wasn't by the refreshments, he wasn't dancing, he was – there! At the dining table, playing cards.

Sakura began to approach the table, then froze. She barely registered Sasuke coming up behind her, or Hinata staring up at her from her seat beside Naruto. Her eyes were on the spiky-haired blonde sitting beside Kiba. She was laughing, and so was he, their heads tilted together over a hand of cards. That hadn't taken him long at all – not that she was very surprised.

Sasuke's presence was warm and steady behind her. He said: "Naruto, I'm leaving."

Naruto glanced up from his own hand of cards at his best friend's voice, prompting Kiba to look up as well, pulling away from the blonde. When he saw Sakura, he broke into a grin and rose from his chair.

"Hey, you," he said, pulling her to him. "Everything cool?"

Sakura's gaze flicked to the blonde involuntarily. Kiba, as usual, didn't miss a thing, and his grin only widened. "You wander off for twenty minutes from another guy – into a _bedroom, _too – and _you're _jealous over me playing cards with a girl?" He shook his head. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Love me. Feed me. Never leave me," she said automatically. If Kiba noticed the way her voice broke on the last word, he didn't show it.

Naruto finally tossed down his cards ("This game is _rigged!") _and approached them. He looked Sakura over, blue eyes serious, then turned to Sasuke. "Why don't you stay?"

"I have a paper to write," Sasuke said. Sakura turned to look at him. His keys were already in his hand, and she felt her heart clench. He was about to walk out the door and out of her life. True, he would always be by her side– they were best friends – but there was no hope for the future she wanted anymore. And just because she had agreed to it, just because she understood it, didn't mean she was okay with it.

Naruto clapped Sasuke on the back with a "See ya," and nothing more, headed back to the table and his game, and Sasuke nodded at Kiba, his gaze lingering on Sakura for an extra beat, before he turned. Sakura watched him go until he was out of her sight, and a little longer after that. Kiba stood silently by her side for a long moment, until Naruto called out to them.

Sakura snapped out of her reverie and tried to turn towards Naruto, but Kiba's grip was tight around her.

"Naruto called Sasuke here. He told me to let you guys talk, so I thought I should leave you alone." Sakura didn't reply. "Are you okay?" he murmured, leaning close. Sakura blinked, confused – and then realized, too late, the tears slipping down her cheeks.

"No," she whispered. Kiba squeezed her shoulder and turned to look at Naruto. "In a minute," he called. "Temari, win me money."

Temari – presumably the blonde that had been sharing Kiba's cards – must have nodded, because Kiba was soon leading them back through the living room and kitchen, and into the foyer. He made for the stairs, but Sakura didn't want to revisit that scene just yet, and she resisted. Kiba didn't press her, and led her instead through the front door, down the porch steps, and into the open, chilly night.

They were quiet for a moment, breathing in the brisk air. Then, Kiba turned to her. His face was cast in shadow, but the tumble of spiky brunette locks was dark in the moonlight, as was the shape of his face, the outline of his broad shoulders. Kiba was attractive, there was no doubt about that. There never had been. It had been his personality that had been the problem – that, and Sakura's own stubbornness.

"So, Naruto asked Hinata to the party. I don't think he's really noticed her yet," Kiba said. Sakura nodded wordlessly.

Kiba sighed. His hand was light on her shoulder, thumb stroking soft circles over the skin of her back. She could feel the warmth of his skin through the fabric of her shirt. It was comforting.

She looked down the street. Sasuke had probably already left, and even though she knew it shouldn't matter, Sakura still felt very alone. It felt as if a piece of her had been taken away and crushed to pieces.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly, leaning close, head tipped town towards hers.

"Sasuke _dumped _me," she told him – and then the tears burst out of her. Sakura was thankful to be outside and alone with Kiba, because it meant no one else could hear the loud, wailing sobs that wracked her body. No one could see the thick tears streaming down her cheeks and making locks of roseate hair stick to her red face, or see her makeup smudging around her red-rimmed eyes.

It was only Kiba, who took her into his arms and let her lean against him and muffle her sobs in the material of his button-down as she cried over another boy. She cried for Sasuke, for her unrequited feelings, for the conclusion of the fairy tale romance that had never been told. She cried because even when Sasuke let her go, he had done it in a way that made it impossible for her to love him any less.

She cried because she didn't know what to do without Sasuke to tell her.

Kiba stayed uncharacteristically silent, and as Sakura forced herself to quiet down, she wondered if she had finally succeeded in turning him off. No guy could put up with a girl like her – one who was so fixated on someone else that she refused to be charmed. It just wasn't _done_.

Not unless they were really loyal.

Kiba pulled back and scrutinized her expression for a moment – to make sure she was done crying, Sakura supposed. She was a bit ashamed of herself for breaking down like that – and in front of her _boyfriend_, too. She was a horrible person.

But Kiba didn't seem to think so. Not if the way he was looking at her was any indication. She couldn't see his eyes in the dark, but she could see the small half-smile touching his lips. Sakura blinked up at him, baffled.

"Tell me something," he said.

Sakura nodded mutely.

"How do you know you love Sasuke?"

Sakura's jaw dropped. "W—what?!" she sputtered.

Kiba cocked an eyebrow. His hands were on her forearms, holding her tightly in place so she couldn't step away from him if she wanted. He was so close they were toe-to-toe, but she still couldn't make out his expression properly.

"I just want to know. Purely in the interest of science." Sakura shot him a look and didn't reply, so he squeezed her arms in reassurance. "I won't judge. Just tell me."

Her heart was racing a mile a minute, but Sakura found herself saying, "I know I love him, because I haven't let myself look at another guy for ten years."

Kiba was quiet, and Sakura hoped she hadn't gone too far. He _had _asked—

"But, Sakura," Kiba said. He sounded half-amused, half-puzzled. "You looked at _me."_

Sakura sucked in a breath. That was true. And it wasn't just because Kiba was attractive – she knew a lot of attractive guys. It wasn't just that he was persistent – Lee had bought her bouquets of flowers on a weekly basis in high school, and she still hadn't given him any attention beyond their formal friendship. Kiba was just… Kiba.

Kiba, who Sasuke had handed her off to. To make her happy.

She was still wrapping her mind around this when Kiba took one of her hands in his. "Feeling any better?" Without waiting for an answer, he tugged on her hand, making his way back to the house. "Good. Come on."

He sounded excited, for reasons Sakura couldn't be bothered to fathom. Her eyes were wide. What was he _doing? _Not only did she look terrible, but she was just so _confused_. She didn't want to return to the party. Not now.

"Kiba, I don't—"

Too late. Kiba pulled her into the main room. Some people turned to wave at him, and instead looked at Sakura. She imagined she was quite a sight with her puffy eyes, mascara-tear-stained cheeks, and ruffled hair.

"_Kiba," _she hissed, yanking him to a halt. Finally, he looked back. His eyes were bright with excitement, and his grin threatened to split his face in two.

"Have some faith in me, yeah?" he said, before dropping her hand and crossing the room to stand behind Naruto, immersed once again in his Poker game.

"Hey, Naruto, move," Kiba said, shoving Naruto to the side so he knocked into Hinata, who flamed so red Sakura worried she might explode.

"Hey!" Naruto snapped, glaring up at Kiba. "What the hell, I was winning."

Kiba scoffed. "Right." Without another word, he stepped up onto an empty chair—and then onto the dining table.

Sakura's eyes bugged out of her sockets. She wasn't the only one surprised. Everyone was starting to turn to Kiba. Someone turned the music down, and Neji stepped up in front of the dancing crowd to glare up at Kiba.

"Get off my table," he commanded sternly. Sakura glanced at Kiba. He was shaking his head.

"Gimme a sec. This is important."

Lee came up beside Sakura, looking as sparkling clean as usual. His cheeks were flushed with happiness, but his bright, beaming smile dropped a bit when he looked at Sakura.

"What happened to you?" he asked, clearly alarmed.

"Yo. Guys. Listen to me, this is important."

Everyone was staring up at Kiba now. Some were shouting up at him, clearly amused. Neji, of course, was not, but his girlfriend Tenten came up beside him and forcibly restrained him from going up to Kiba to push him off. Across the room, Sakura could see Ino staring up at Kiba impassively.

Naruto was making faces up at Kiba. In response, Kiba kicked his cards off the table, then cleared his throat, turning to face the crowd on the dance floor.

"So, first, happy birthday to Lee." He glanced around his feet for a moment before bending to scoop up Hinata's untouched Pepsi and raising it in salute to Lee. Lee nodded back blankly. Other people were starting to raise their drinks in toast as well, prompting Kiba to add hurriedly, "Yeah, do that on your own time."

Naruto rolled his eyes. Hinata smothered a giggle.

"What I actually wanted to announce was that I'm giving up girl-chasing. I'm looking at you, Kin. Quit making googly-eyes at me." A laugh went through the crowd. Kiba raised his voice. "So, go ahead. Ask me _why _I'm giving up my favorite hobby. No, really. Ask."

A shout of "Why?!" went around the room. Sakura stayed silent, watching as Kiba got a houseful of people into his sudden announcement. He _was _a charmer – people liked him, not just girls. Even Sasuke approved of him, and that was saying something…

Kiba was grinning when he turned to her. Sakura's eyes widened. She had been so focused on what Kiba was doing, that she hadn't realized what he was _saying._

Oh, _crap._

"Because, guys, I have finally found the girl of my dreams!" He turned to face Ino's side of the room. "I know, none of you thought it would happen. But it did. I have fallen in love," he added solemnly. Sakura felt her cheeks reddening.

"Who's the poor girl?" Temari crowed, smirking.

"I'm glad you asked," Kiba said, sounding like a television host. "I present to you, the beautiful – though maybe not at the moment – the charming, the wonderful, the amazing, the stunning, the—"

"Get to the point, Romeo," Naruto grumped.

"_Haruno Sakura!"_

The entire room broke out into applause and laughter. Lee was staring at her, looking quite shell-shocked, and Sakura imagined her expression was much the same.

"Sakura," Kiba stage-whispered. "Now you come fall into my arms. Prince Charming chose his Cinderella and all that."

Sakura shook her head, trying to fight a smile. How did he _do _that? "Cinderella ran away, idiot."

"Good thing I wore sneakers, then." He was holding out a hand. Sakura laughed and stepped forward, sliding her palm into his, so he could pull her up. This was the craziest thing he had done yet.

Ino was staring up at them, looking resigned. "Tell her you love me so she gets off my case," Kiba said in a low voice so only Sakura could hear. "She thinks I'm going to break your heart. She doesn't understand me. I'm like a puppy. I'll keep coming back to you."

"I _do _like puppies," Sakura said.

Kiba beamed. "Still think I'm a man-slut, then?"

"Nah." But he was no Sasuke, either. Still, Sakura wouldn't mention him. That chapter had been closed, and Sakura was going to have to move on, whether she wanted to or not. It was just nice to have someone beside her on the way.

She took Kiba's hand in hers, and he squeezed it, waving at the crowd with his other hand. She laughed at the sight, staring up at him. He was more vibrant, more outgoing than Sasuke. His bright, playful demeanor was different from Sasuke's quiet steadiness. But he was also mature and understanding, gentle and eager-to-please. He played with kids and animals, was completely unaffected by her teasing, and had come a long way from the walking, talking bundle of hormones he had been when they first met.

Kiba was incomparable to Sasuke, so Sakura would stop. Kiba was Kiba, and Kiba was a good guy. That was all there was to it.

She reached up to touch his cheek, and he glanced down at her. She pulled him down by the collar, and he happily (of _course_) obliged.

She knew her cheeks were darker than her hair when they finally broke apart, but Kiba didn't seem to care that they were being stared at, if the way he leaned down again was any indication.

Still, Naruto _and _Neji had had enough.

"My eyes, they burn!"

"_Get off my table!"_

**-x-  
**_If there was one thing I learned from Sakura, it was that most girls don't want cookie-cutter flirtation techniques.  
They want real boys, real feelings. That's what made Sakura fall for Sasuke.  
That was what, eventually, made her fall for me.  
She doesn't like to admit it. But we're living happily ever after now.  
Take _that_, Disney.  
_**-x-**


End file.
